Moab site named troubled treasure

Moab's famous Fisher Towers, which rise hundreds of feet above the desert east of the Colorado River, are at risk from oil and gas development, environmentalists say.

Campaign for America's Wilderness on Wednesday released "Wild . . . for How Long? Twelve Treasures in Trouble," spotlighting a dozen of the nation's wild lands facing threats of logging, road building, drilling and off-road vehicle abuse.

Environmentalists are using the report — released just two months before the 40th anniversary of the Wilderness Act — to generate public support for wilderness protection.

"There is no better way to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Wilderness Act than to act to preserve these special places now," said Mike Matz, executive director of the Campaign for America's Wilderness.

Matz, former director of Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, launched the group two years ago to elevate national attention to wild places in Utah and across the West.

Fisher Towers is a popular rock-climbing area where climbers from all across North America scale the 900-foot-tall spire. It's also located in an 18,000-acre area popular among hikers.

In 1999, the Bureau of Land Management found the Fisher Towers area qualified for protection under a proposed congressional wilderness designation. But that came unraveled in a deal between Interior Secretary Gale Norton and former Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt that removed wilderness protection from nearly 6 million acres of federal land in Utah.

Environmentalists say that means Fisher Towers is vulnerable to oil and gas exploration.

"Fisher Towers is indeed a special place deserving of protection," said Heidi McIntosh, conservation director of SUWA. "The time is now — before oil and gas development destroys this spectacular wild place — to preserve Fisher Towers for our children and theirs to enjoy."

Besides Utah, the 11 other threatened places include wild lands in Alaska, Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wyoming.

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