by Liz Thomas, Field Attorney, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance

Over the past two months, we’ve participated in a series of meetings with San Juan County commissioners and representatives of Senator Bob Bennett to discuss the merits of wilderness designations within the San Juan-Canyonlands landscape. 

Throughout Senator Bennett’s process, questions have arisen about the Senator’s intent. Senate and county representatives frequently weren’t taking notes on conservationists’ presentations and county commissioners sometimes weren’t even in attendance as the process moved along. This raises questions about whether these meetings were perfunctory “window dressing” or a real effort to identify the specific issues related to federal lands in San Juan County. 


Now the future of these discussions, and any potential wilderness legislation, is unclear. Read more.

by Bill Lipe (Washington State University and Crow Canyon Archaeological Center) 


Documents and presentations referred to in boldface are embedded at right. For best viewing, choose "Fullscreen" mode.

In March of 2010, Senator Robert Bennett of Utah initiated a public discussion and planning process intended to result in legislation that would resolve contentious issues of public land use (such as wilderness designations) in San Juan County, Utah.  In a March 3 letter to potentially interested groups, Bennett invited proposals for public land designations and priorities.  He referenced the recent success of such a process in Washington County, Utah, which after several years had resulted in passage of the Washington County Growth and Conservation Act of 2009.  Bennett's invitation for individuals and groups to take part in a planning process for San Juan County was also distributed as a press release to state and regional media.

In his March 3 letter, Bennett noted that he was acting at the request of the San Juan County Commission, the members of which hoped that the success of the Washington County process could be replicated in their county.

Individuals and groups who responded in writing [see my March 24 letter] to Bennett's invitation subsequently received a letter dated April 5 that laid out the next steps in the planning process and proposed a series of public meetings.  Accompanying the letter was a map that subdivided the county into several regions, and a schedule of meetings at the San Juan County courthouse in Monticello where each region would be discussed in turn.   Senator Bennett designated staff member Brad Shafer of his Salt Lake City office as the person who would organize and run these meetings.

In his April 5 letter, Senator Bennett acknowledged the letters he had received in response to his March 3 invitation, and stated:

"The information you, and many others, have provided, has identified ecological, cultural, social, and economic values to be considered for preservation under various land use designations. In order to achieve the right balance in a public lands bill, I must also understand any potential conflicts of interest that my arise in making land use designations. To deepen my understanding of these issues, and to ensure that we have a full understanding of the issues you have raised, I have asked my staff to hold a series of discussions with those who submitted priorities to my office."

The Greater Cedar Mesa area was designated as Region 2 in this process, and discussions about this region were scheduled for April 22, to be continued the morning of April 23, if necessary.  A number of organizations made presentations at this meeting. My April 22 presentation was endorsed by the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center of Cortez, Colorado, on whose board of directors I serve.

I also attended the meeting where Region 6 was discussed and I made a presentation on May 26, again with the endorsement of the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center.  This region is in eastern San Juan County, and includes Montezuma Canyon and Alkali Ridge, as well as other areas with very high densities of archaeological sites.  I include it here because it has some general information about the archaeology of San Juan County that is relevant to our concerns about future land use in the Greater Cedar Mesa area.

My two presentations attempted to present basic information about the archaeological resources of these two regions, and about the importance of developing policies and designations that would protect them so they can continue to benefit a variety of publics now and in the future. 

Senator Bennett had planned to stand for re-election this fall, but he did not get enough votes at the Utah State Republican Convention this spring to gain a spot on the ballot.  His staff has indicated that he is still planning to have the San Juan County bill drafted and introduced in Congress this year.  There also are some indications that he would be willing to ask a colleague on the Utah delegation to continue to continue this process if a bill does not pass this session of Congress.

I hope all of us who care for the cultural, scenic, and ecological values of the Cedar Mesa region can stay informed about the development of this legislation by Senator Bennett's office, and can share information about it through the Friends of Cedar Mesa website blog.

from Republicans for Environmental Protection