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Bennett to unveil land-use proposal
Washington County: Greens feel left out, but 'the cement's still wet'
By Robert Gehrke
The Salt Lake Tribune
Salt Lake Tribune
WASHINGTON - Sen. Bob Bennett will unveil a sweeping vision for Washington County today with a network of off-road trails, 221,000 acres of designated wilderness, protection for endangered desert tortoises, and preservation of waterways and scenic vistas near Zion National Park.
The draft legislation is the fruit of a process launched more than 2 1/2 years ago by then-Gov. Olene Walker aimed at tackling some of the thorniest and most divisive land-use issues in a county coping with a population explosion.
"If we don't do this, we're going to have uncontrollable growth in Washington County, and that's just not smart at all," Bennett told The Salt Lake Tribune on Tuesday. "Washington County is the fastest-growing county in the country, and you need to have that properly planned and properly controlled, and since so much of the land down there is federal land, you've got to have a piece of federal legislation addressing [it]."
A U.S. Census report issued last week said Washington County last year was the fifth-fastest growing in the nation.
Bennett and Rep. Jim Matheson are scheduled to release a draft of the bill in St. George this morning. Both emphasize that it is a blueprint subject to change based on recommendations and criticism that will be solicited from the public through a series of meetings.
Bennett said he plans to introduce a final version of the bill in Congress later this spring and hopes for final passage before the end of the year.
The bill is patterned after a pair of comprehensive land-use bills pushed by Democratic Sen. Harry Reid to deal with growth and disputes in Nevada's Lincoln and Clark counties.
Matheson said the holistic approach is the best path to take.
"I think the public lands discussion needs to be conducted in a more expansive context than simply what is wilderness and what is not," said Matheson. "You've got to put everything on the table and not do one that is only two-dimensional."
Utah environmental groups that were included in the early talks on the Washington County bill said the process fell apart after a few meetings and they were cut out of negotiations.
"We look forward to seeing what this legislation includes and we hope this is a beginning of the process where interests beyond the county commissioners have a chance to speak and influence what happens with Utah's public lands," said Scott Groene, executive director of the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance.
Bennett said the groups have been consulted, and they will have a chance to provide their input after specifics are released today.
"No, we didn't sit down at the table and show them maps, but they haven't been in the dark," he said.
As part of the long-term strategy, the county and local governments are putting together a quality growth commission to consider ways to rein in urban sprawl, much as Envision Utah sought to do for the Wasatch Front since its creation in 1997.
"I'm really excited that we've finally reached this point," said Washington County Commissioner Alan Gardner. "There's been a lot of effort going into it by a lot of people."
Of the 221,000 acres of wilderness in the bill, 123,743 acres are within the boundaries of Zion National Park, providing another layer of protection against development. It adds parcels of BLM land to the park and identifies 170 miles of the Virgin River and its tributaries as a Wild and Scenic River, granting them additional protection. It would be the first river in the state with such a designation.
"I think there are very good benefits for long-term preservation of what I consider to be one of the nation's most spectacular national parks," said Jock Whitworth, superintendent of Zion National Park.
The Nature Conservancy also has expressed interest in purchasing conservation easements on land adjacent to the park to protect scenic views and preserve habitat for an endangered plant.
David Livermore, director of the Utah Nature Conservancy, said he could not discuss the proposal until the senator releases the plan.
"We had input, but until we see the [bill] language, we don't know how our input was perceived. We're hopeful it will be a positive bill," he said.
---
Reporter Joe Baird contributed to this story.
The Bennett proposal would:
* Establish about 221,000 acres of wilderness in Zion National Park and on BLM and Forest Service land while removing use restrictions from some other BLM wilderness study areas;
* Create a national conservation area for the desert tortoise;
* Allow sales of federal land determined not to be environmentally sensitive, with revenues channeled to Utah schools, county fire and flood protection, water projects, habitat conservation, trail repair and other projects;
* Establish a process to identify routes to be part of the High Desert Off-Highway Vehicle Trail System, a network of trails that off-roaders would like to see stretch from Beaver County to the Arizona border;
* Preserve important water, utility and transportation corridors.
Washington County: Greens feel left out, but 'the cement's still wet'
By Robert Gehrke
The Salt Lake Tribune
Salt Lake Tribune
WASHINGTON - Sen. Bob Bennett will unveil a sweeping vision for Washington County today with a network of off-road trails, 221,000 acres of designated wilderness, protection for endangered desert tortoises, and preservation of waterways and scenic vistas near Zion National Park.
The draft legislation is the fruit of a process launched more than 2 1/2 years ago by then-Gov. Olene Walker aimed at tackling some of the thorniest and most divisive land-use issues in a county coping with a population explosion.
"If we don't do this, we're going to have uncontrollable growth in Washington County, and that's just not smart at all," Bennett told The Salt Lake Tribune on Tuesday. "Washington County is the fastest-growing county in the country, and you need to have that properly planned and properly controlled, and since so much of the land down there is federal land, you've got to have a piece of federal legislation addressing [it]."
A U.S. Census report issued last week said Washington County last year was the fifth-fastest growing in the nation.
Bennett and Rep. Jim Matheson are scheduled to release a draft of the bill in St. George this morning. Both emphasize that it is a blueprint subject to change based on recommendations and criticism that will be solicited from the public through a series of meetings.
Bennett said he plans to introduce a final version of the bill in Congress later this spring and hopes for final passage before the end of the year.
The bill is patterned after a pair of comprehensive land-use bills pushed by Democratic Sen. Harry Reid to deal with growth and disputes in Nevada's Lincoln and Clark counties.
Matheson said the holistic approach is the best path to take.
"I think the public lands discussion needs to be conducted in a more expansive context than simply what is wilderness and what is not," said Matheson. "You've got to put everything on the table and not do one that is only two-dimensional."
Utah environmental groups that were included in the early talks on the Washington County bill said the process fell apart after a few meetings and they were cut out of negotiations.
"We look forward to seeing what this legislation includes and we hope this is a beginning of the process where interests beyond the county commissioners have a chance to speak and influence what happens with Utah's public lands," said Scott Groene, executive director of the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance.
Bennett said the groups have been consulted, and they will have a chance to provide their input after specifics are released today.
"No, we didn't sit down at the table and show them maps, but they haven't been in the dark," he said.
As part of the long-term strategy, the county and local governments are putting together a quality growth commission to consider ways to rein in urban sprawl, much as Envision Utah sought to do for the Wasatch Front since its creation in 1997.
"I'm really excited that we've finally reached this point," said Washington County Commissioner Alan Gardner. "There's been a lot of effort going into it by a lot of people."
Of the 221,000 acres of wilderness in the bill, 123,743 acres are within the boundaries of Zion National Park, providing another layer of protection against development. It adds parcels of BLM land to the park and identifies 170 miles of the Virgin River and its tributaries as a Wild and Scenic River, granting them additional protection. It would be the first river in the state with such a designation.
"I think there are very good benefits for long-term preservation of what I consider to be one of the nation's most spectacular national parks," said Jock Whitworth, superintendent of Zion National Park.
The Nature Conservancy also has expressed interest in purchasing conservation easements on land adjacent to the park to protect scenic views and preserve habitat for an endangered plant.
David Livermore, director of the Utah Nature Conservancy, said he could not discuss the proposal until the senator releases the plan.
"We had input, but until we see the [bill] language, we don't know how our input was perceived. We're hopeful it will be a positive bill," he said.
---
Reporter Joe Baird contributed to this story.
The Bennett proposal would:
* Establish about 221,000 acres of wilderness in Zion National Park and on BLM and Forest Service land while removing use restrictions from some other BLM wilderness study areas;
* Create a national conservation area for the desert tortoise;
* Allow sales of federal land determined not to be environmentally sensitive, with revenues channeled to Utah schools, county fire and flood protection, water projects, habitat conservation, trail repair and other projects;
* Establish a process to identify routes to be part of the High Desert Off-Highway Vehicle Trail System, a network of trails that off-roaders would like to see stretch from Beaver County to the Arizona border;
* Preserve important water, utility and transportation corridors.
