Iron county considers Cedar Breaks changes

PAROWAN, Iron County — A southern Utah county is trying to decide whether to try to get Cedar Breaks National Monument designated as a national park.

The Iron County Commission on Monday held a public hearing about the possibility of seeking national park status for the monument — sometimes referred to as a miniature Grand Canyon — to boost tourism.

"It will help us get on the map as a major Utah destination," said Maria Twitchell, director of the Cedar City/Brian Head Bureau of Tourism.

But some at the hearing argued giving it the national park designation would close it off to anyone who wants to do anything there but "backpack in."

"The use that people can get out of this is entirely different if it is park status," said Allen Nielsen. "Where now, people can get some use out of it as a wilderness area. If you put that under the park designation, you're just closing it up to all of us that want to use it."

One Parowan rancher, David Burton, said the change could eliminate grazing and ruin his livelihood.

"You can maybe grandfather it in, but by regulations it will make it so prohibitive it won't be feasible," Burton said.

Other issues that came up included public access, private property rights and Cedar City's watershed.

Iron County Administrator Reed Erickson emphasized that a decision hasn't been made.

"This isn't something that we do have to do," Erickson said. "This is something that we've considered because a national park has a lot more draw and attention in the traveling public and tourism than a national monument does."

On the Net: www.nps.gov/cebr/index.htm