SALT LAKE CITY — Among all of Utah's scenic "treasures," 10 that are threatened by off-road vehicle use and oil and gas development were recognized by a local environmental group Thursday.
Unveiled at a press conference, the report by the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance represents the first statewide review of its kind and is a call to federal officials to rescind an agreement inked in 2003 between the Bush administration and then-Gov. Mike Leavitt.
The "No More Wild" pact, according to SUWA, paved the way for unprecedented development of public lands in Utah, relinquishing regulatory oversight in favor of multiuse access that is threatening some of the state's most pristine areas.
"Some of these places are areas that people probably know and love, and they may not realize they are threatened right now," said Heidi McIntosh, SUWA's associate director. "This is the type of analysis that can help you formulate some management action to help solve the problem."
But state Rep. Mike Noel, a member of Gov. Gary Herbert's Balanced Resource Council that deals with public land issues, said SUWA's approach is all wrong and goes too far.
"There should be absolutely no more wilderness study areas in this state," said Noel, a Republican from Kanab.
"This report is just being used to exert political pressure and draw attention to their cause. In reality, none of these areas are threatened. It's all baloney."
Noel said legislation has been passed that tightens restrictions on off-road vehicle use and controls "unfettered access on public lands." SUWA's contention regarding irreparable damage being done to these areas is "a joke," he said.
The 14-page report, "Utah's Ten Most Threatened Wilderness Treasures," is based on what SUWA says are detailed inventories and an analysis of the Bureau of Land Management's own documentation of threats to places such as upper Desolation Canyon and the Vermillion Cliffs at upper Kanab Creek.
It asserts that nine of the 10 places highlighted include streams and water-dependent wildlife habitat.
"These are ecological treasure troves. Although these valuable places make up just 1 percent of the landmass statewide, they support about 80 percent of all wildlife," the report says.
All of the areas, according to SUWA, qualify as wilderness and are included in the Red Rock Wilderness Act, which received its first hearing in Congress this year but did not pass.
The places highlighted in the report are:
Glen Canyon-San Juan River, which includes Red Rock Plateau, Clay Hills, Nokai Dome and multiple canyons of slickrock mesas and sandstone buttes.
Cedar Mesa Comb Ridge, featuring cliff dwellings of Pueblo Indians from 700 years ago. Several off-road vehicle routes go through places SUWA says are eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.
Canyonlands Basin and Rims, east of Canyonlands National Park, which includes Hatch Walsh and Indian Creek with its hoodoos, spires and knobs.
Labyrinth Canyon along the Green River, featuring 1,000-foot walls of sandstone towers and archaeological wonders SUWA says are internationally recognized.
Upper Desolation Canyon, which offers one of the state's best canoe trips through a remote area depicting centuries of Native American art on canyon walls.
Dirty Devil Country, southeast of Hanksville, where the Dirty Devil Stream winds through 90 miles of a canyon rich in artifacts and colorful cliffs.
Moquith Mountain Wilderness Study Area, which includes the Coral Pink Sand Dunes and the Moquith Mountain that reaches 7,000 feet.
Factory Butte east of Capitol Reef National Park, with its Mancos shale formations that create a badlands display mimicking the surface of the moon.
Vermillion Cliffs-Upper Kanab Creek, which form two of the "steps" in the Grand Staircase between the floor of the Grand Canyon and the rim of Bryce Canyon.
Price River-Lost Spring Wash along the eastern bank of the San Rafael Swell in central Utah. The area includes the Price River, which winds through a high desert landscape.
McIntosh said she is hopeful the report will underscore the environmental and cultural importance of preserving these areas and spur people to action.
"We do this as a way to put a face on these places and sharpen the conversation about what is happening out there," she said.
The full report is available at www.suwa.org/site/DocServer/TopTenBrochure.pdf?docID=10501.
e-mail: amyjoi@desnews.com