1. WHY does SOUTHERN UTAH WILDERNESS ALLIANCE (SUWA), an organization Chaired by Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss want to close recreational and natural resources in Utah?
SUWA has $5 to $6 million dollars in assets. SUWA has spent approximately $2 million dollars a year since the year 2000 to accomplish their goal. Do you realize that is $16 million dollars in the last eight years SPENT ON KEEPING PEOPLE OUT OF PUBLIC LANDS? During this period of time they had two of their board members convicted of bank fraud, Bert Fingerhut and Mark Ristow. If you had donated to this organization wouldn’t you wonder what was happening to your money especially since Mark Ristow was treasurer? Let it be noted that they both resigned before they were indicted, my guess is to save Wyss’s organization embarrassment.
I have read their web-site blurb and they say it is for our grandchildren. My concern is what about my grandchildren today, now and me now? If we can’t use it now what good is it if we can’t use it a hundred years from now? Where will we go to recreate? Where will we go to get gas, oil, coal, and uranium? I have always wondered about the Grand Staircase Escalante being closed. This tied up some of the cleanest coal in the country and caused this country to go overseas to get this quality of coal.
In the mid-1990’s SUWA had approximately 20,000 members but since the take over by Hansjorg Wyss and his mega-bucks in 1996 the grass roots membership has dropped off. According to the Salt Lake Tribune the total membership of SUWA is 14,600 of which only 3100 are Utah residents. It seems like others are wondering about SUWA’s goals and wondering WHY. In 2007 they had a staff of 20 that do nothing but try to keep people out of PUBLIC LANDS. I don’t know how many of these people are actually in Utah but in 2007 their board of 12 individuals only had 7 Utah residents while just a couple of years ago they only had 5 Utah residents.
The following is a quote from USA-All’s Access/Advocate magazine spring edition 2009 written by Marcie Swenson (www.usaall.org) on how designating wilderness applies to recreation?
Quote “Wilderness prohibits uses of the land including, permanent or temporary roads and structures, the use of motor vehicles and the landing of aircraft. (Insert; remember the lost boy scout in Arizona that was spotted by helicopter but could not be rescued) When applied to types of recreation, wilderness areas prohibit full-size 4×4’s, side-by-sides, quads, snowmobiles, dirt bikes, motor boats, airplanes, helicopters, motor coaches/homes, house trailers, toy haulers, mountain bikes, sometimes horses (often a diaper is placed on the horse to catch harmful fecal matter), generators, any type of motorized equipment (i.e. drills, pumps), and some camping equipment (if it is motorized or mechanical).
Even though case law or statute do not address canyoneering or rock climbing (sport or traditional climbing), both of these activities could easily fall under prohibited activities. The canyoneer must leave behind webbing or bolts used in conjunction with anchors, and rock climbers use permanent bolts or cams which are mechanical devices.
Analysis reveals that almost all recreation is barred (except hiking and backpack camping) and contradicts the provision in the statute that states “to preserve the land for the purpose of recreational, scenic, scientific, educational, conservation, and historical use.” Unquote
Quote; “Clearly you can see why designating public lands as wilderness is not preserving it for future generations. Instead it is taking it away from most Americans except a minority group of recreationists, the hikers. A small group of radical environmentalists have continuously manipulated the public and large contributors into thinking that creating wilderness preserves land. It is becoming more and more evident that their “wilderness Campaign” is propaganda. It is now easier to see that their true agenda is claiming public lands for themselves. It is time that it is known that they are not the superior group of recreationists they think they are, they are not the elite. The majority has as much if not more right to use public lands. Hikers are only one small group of people who use public lands. Previously mentioned are all of the many groups that are being barred from wilderness areas and other federally managed lands. It’s time to make our views known!” end quote
When taking the above into consideration I also have a WHY question for the different groups that use our PUBLIC LANDS. I am talking to Four Wheelers, Horsemen, Snowmobiles, ATVs, Hunters, Fishermen, Cattlemen, Hikers, Lumber, Oil, Gas, Mineral and Campers?
2. WHY are you letting SUWA make the laws that you all have to live with? If just a tenth of these groups were as active in protecting PUBLIC LANDS as U4WDA /USA-ALL/BRC/UFWDA there would be no way that SUWA could dictate PUBLIC LAND’S policy through the courts. Some might scoff that SUWA’s policies do not affect them but I can remember when motorized users said the same thing about other so-called environmentalist and look at all the trails and mineral exploration that has been closed. Just remember what Government gives, Government can take away. All you have to do is look at the way Public Domain laws have taken private property from one person and given it to another person. With the present political philosophy in the country today Courts are deciding PUBLIC LAND usage instead of the laws of the country. According to the United States Constitution the Legislative branch of Government makes the laws not the Courts.
3. WHY is SUWA contesting the Resource Management Plans (RMP) for Moab, Price and Vernal but not Richfield and Monticello? Could it be that Richfield and Monticello were so well written that they did not need to be corrected by the all knowing SUWA? Could it be that there are no (Wilderness) (wilderness) (wilderness like) (wilderness study area) (Areas of Critical Environmental Concern) (Wild and Scenic Rivers) wilderness quality areas in these Districts? Could it be that there are no OHV trails that destroy pristine vistas? Maybe there are no grand children that will ever desire to walk through these areas rather then use their OHV? Or could it be because there are no sizable mineral deposits in these areas that are of concern to Hansjorg Wyss and his East Coast backers? Mind you this is not an accusation I am just asking questions. There has to be a reason that some were chosen and some were not chosen.
The following is from the Blue Ribbon Coalition (BRC) (www.sharetrails.org) in reference to the three RMP’s and somewhat explains SUWA’s actions.
Quote “On December 17, 2008 a coalition of eleven Wilderness activist groups led by the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA) challenged the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) offering of 77 oil and gas leases in three Utah District Offices. In January 2009, SUWA obtained a temporary restraining order against the challenged lease sales.
Far from being satisfied with their “victory”, on March 19, 2009, SUWA amended the lawsuit, removing all references to oil and gas leasing. SUWA now seeks to challenge the entirety of the Moab, Price and Vernal Resource management plans (RMPs) and specifically, their travel plans.
SUWA claims that the travel plans violate the law by failing to adequately analyze environmental effects of vehicle use, even though the BLM’s new plans closed nearly half of the existing roads and trails. This is in addition claims that the BLM didn’t add more Wilderness Study Areas, Areas of Critical Environmental Concern and Wild and Scenic Rivers.” Unquote
4. WHY don’t all of us contact those that will help keep Public lands public and let the BLM do their job without harassment by SUWA through the courts? Yes, we will probably lose some of our minerals, trails and campsites but we will loose less, it will cost much less in the long run and be more equitable for everyone except those that want it all to themselves.
Contacts that will help us keep Public Lands public.
U4WDA Utah 4 Wheel Drive Association u4wda.org
BRC Blue Ribbon Coalition sharetrails.org
USA-ALL Utah Shared Access Alliance usaall.org
BLM Bureau of Land Management blm.gov/ut
UFWDA United Four Wheel Drive Association ufwda.org
Jack Johnston
BOD Member U4WDA (Utah 4 Wheel Drive Association)
