Gov. Mike Leavitt's fast-track agenda to designate Utah's wilderness by June 1 does not provide equitable opportunities for input from Wasatch Front residents. Those of us who often visit the areas under consideration are extremely frustrated because only one such meeting is planned for the populace of Salt Lake City. And that meeting is to take place only after the counties have forwarded their wilderness recommendations to the governor.
The various county commission meetings are inconvenient for everyone except the commissioners and their immediate neighbors. The meetings are on weekdays in the afternoon or early evenings, making it very difficult for anyone but local interests to attend. We know that the commissioners and their constituents generally oppose wilderness. Thus, the meetings are attended by people with predisposed notions of what will be decided, placing supporters of wilderness in a defensive posture. This does not make for a process favoring a fair cross-section of public input.The governor has conditioned wilderness proposals on the Wilderness Act of 1964, and he has stipulated that a "no wilderness" proposal is not an option. However, the indication is that the counties will designate as little wilderness as possible because they believe such designation drives jobs out of their communities.
I respect and admire these rural dwellers for their hard work and productivity. But I do not agree with their perspective on wilderness. They apparently want development such as mining or other short-term job-producing endeavors that could ultimately rob their communities of a healthy environment and the quality of life that keeps them there.
What wilderness means to me is no more chaining of trees and no new development such as roads and exploitative industries that destroy habitat, pollute, and then leave.
In a meeting to orient the counties on the process, it was made clear that "philosophical" views had no bearing and were not to be considered in wilderness proposals. I contend that philosophy is the predominant issue, second perhaps only to plain common sense. The common-sense reality is that when our wilderness is gone, it is gone; it cannot be reclaimed and made whole again in any lifetimes we can perceive.
Ann M. Martin
Salt Lake City