back to main Take Action

Illinois is once again poised to play a critical role in the future of Utah's world class wildlands. Whether it's John Wesley Powell's historic exploration of the Green and Colorado Rivers on behalf of the Illinois Natural History Society or Senator Richard Durbin's essential role as lead sponsor of “America's Redrock Wilderness Act” (SB 882) it seems Utah and Illinois are destined to be linked.

Utah's Senator Bennett and Representative Matheson have proposed legislation that would dangerously impact an area of America's Redrock Wilderness in southwestern Utah known as the Zion-Mojave proposed wilderness. The draft legislation has not been introduced yet, but in its current form it would undercut conservation of Utah's wild public lands and harm endangered plant and animal wildlife while selling off tens of thousands of public land to pay for special interest projects.

In the House of Representatives, many in Illinois' congressional delegation support America's Redrock Wilderness Act (HR 1774). The bipartisan group includes:

• Judy Biggert (R-13)
• Jerry Costello (D-12)
• Danny Davis (D-7)
• Rahm Emanuel (D-5)
• Lane Evans (D-17)
• Luis Gutierrez (D-4)
• Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-2)
• Tim Johnson (R-15)
• Mark Kirk (R-10)
• Dan Lipinski (D-3)
• Bobby Rush (D-1)
• Jan Schakowsky (D-9).

If Senator Bennett's and Representative Matheson's draft gets introduced without very significant improvements we will need these elected representatives from Illinois to play a critical role protecting Utah's world class wilderness and preserving our public lands from being sold to fund roads, pipelines, water developments, and other special interest projects.

Also critical will be first termers Senator Barack Obama and Representative Melissa Bean who have yet to join up as cosponsors of ARWA. Indeed, in Obama's case, he remains the only Illinois senator to have never been a cosponsor of Senator Durbin's bill since it was introduced ten years ago. Even before it was introduced Illinois senators Paul Simon and Carol Moseley-Braun had provided essential and early support for then Senator Bill Bradley's successful filibuster of another wilderness killing bill authored by the Utah delegation. If Bennett's proposal is introduced without the necessary improvements it will be important that Senator Obama uses it as the opportunity to join the long list of Illinois senators who have provided enthusiastic and timely support for preserving Utah's world class redrock wilderness.

Bennett's and Matheson's proposal would:

• leave 70% of the wilderness protected under “America's Redrock Wilderness Act” on the chopping block in the process removing existing protections for 10 square miles of wilderness study areas.
• exclude the public from participating in decisions affecting public lands by circumventing the National Environmental Policy Act's requirements for public input.
• sell 40 square miles of public lands.
• give, as in no charge, water developers 14 square miles of public land for construction purposes.
• provide those same developers money from the sale of public lands for pipelines and reservoirs.
• allow the damming of the free-flowing Beaver Dam Narrows.
• permit a bypass highway to be constructed through public land set aside as desert tortoise habitat
• mandate a new ORV trail system with money from the sale of public lands while doing nothing to control already uncontrolled ORV use and abuse.

There are, of course, some carrots to go along with Bennett's stick:

• 219,299 acres of wilderness (though 123,743 are in the already comparatively well protected Zion National Park).
• the Red Cliff Desert Reserve, which protects the desert tortoise, would be renamed the Red Cliffs National Conservation Area (that'd be the place with the new highway projected to go through the middle of it).

Long list of sticks, short list of carrots.

How You Can Help:

1. Call Sen. Durbin at 312-353-4952 and thank him for his long record of strong support for Utah's redrock wilderness. Let him know that you will support him as he works to protect the Zion / Mojave portion of that wilderness.
2. Call Sen. Obama at 312-224-2854 and let him know that the time is now to step up and support Utah's redrock wilderness. Urge him to protect the Zion / Mojave portion of that wilderness AND to become a cosponsor of S 882, “America's Redrock Wilderness Act”.
3. If your representative is included in the list above call him or her via the congressional switchboard at 202-224-3121 and thank them for the support of Utah's wilderness and “America's Redrock Wilderness Act” and let them know you will support them as they work to protect the Zion / Mojave portion of that wilderness.
4. If your representative is Melissa Bean call her at 847-519-3434 and let her know that the time is now to step up and support Utah's redrock wilderness. Urge her to protect the Zion / Mojave portion of that wilderness AND to become a cosponsor of HR 1774, “America's Redrock Wilderness Act”.
5. E-mail both Senators and your Representative by going to this link: