Reader comments
Lawmakers reintroduce Utah red-rock wilderness bill

Let's get our Utah Congressmen to re-introduce the Eastern Wilderness bill; the Sterling Forest wiledernss act, the Endangered Eastern Wolf act, etc. and give these Democratic bozos a taste of their own elitist, ideologically driven medicine! The arrogancy of it all is galling. Don't they have enough problems in their own states and districts than to meddle in Utah affairs? Looks like East-West warfare is back in play. What a shame.

it amazes me that these bills are always pushed by east coast people. to preserve this land for them to come out here and visit. well there is a problem with that a lot of us and our ancestors decided to live in this area becuase we to love it here, the only difference is we really love it, we live here, we work here, and yes some of that work is mining, drilling, logging, hunting, the list can go on and on. but we should put all of our lives and jobs ( the people who actully live in this area)on hold or stop them all together so that someone on the east coast can come vacation in an deserted area because they drove out all the people who really love it here. besides if they make all this area wilderness its only going to cost tax payers millions of dollars. yes it will! who will pay to have ranger stations, trail markings, and the army of rangers salaries paid for. It sure wont be the seirra club!!!!!!

Why not: there is no political risk?

How nice of all these east coast politicians to be willing to step up and tell us how to manage the lands that support our rural economies.

You mean, Club Sierra, don't you? They have posh highrise HQ in San Fransisco funded by scaring the innocent and well-meaning public into coughing up their checkbooks to support their Enviro-Chic lifestyles.

Hinchey says "preserve" and "protect." I say "locked up so no one except 20-something grape nuts guys can view it." Why can't we use our existing roads to access and enjoy our magnificent federal forests and deserts? Why must it all be wilderness and the roads removed? I object to the wilderness designation.

How can future generations enjoy the land if they can't get on it to see it?

"This land is your land this land is my land from California to the New York island." Woody Guthrie

As is always the case, the democrats are trying to discriminate against handicap people whose only way to see such beautiful country is by ATV/ UTV or motor vehicles. Just because we can't walk, doesn't mean we should be thrown out of these areas. WE care more about these areas than anyone. The roads we use are not tearing up the country or taking anything away to destroy the land.The environmentalist have never had a good idea, only their self serving, pitiful contempt for handicap people. They are trying to make sure we can't use the land our taxes are supporting.These people know nothing of protecting the natural resources and the wise use of these resources. They don't care since it is UTAH and they HAVE to HURT UTAH. They need to mind their own business and let the people who REALLY care about UTAH, handle UTAH resources. The Land owners, Hunters, ATV Riders, skiers and campers are the only ones who really care about UTAH and its lands. The Sierra Club and others like them are pitiful and prejudice against the handicap people.

The people in the East drove the early pioneers out and we came West and settled here. Then they sent their army here to control us. Now they are making laws to restrict our land and our property.

Seems that is the same thing they did to the Indian Tribes. But in this case they have left off beating up on the Native Americans since they have taken most of their freedoms and now they want to do the same to us.

Maybe it is time.

Why stop at 1/16th of the State? Why not just put 100% of Utah into wilderness designation? What do people back East care? That way they will have solitude if they every decide to come visit the wilderness they call "Utah".

Why no comments in this one-sided article from groups that oppose wilderness? Why no comments from the Utah congressional delegation? Poor reporting IMHO.

Thanks Deseret News for getting both sides of the story...... Amazing, more people outside the state telling us what's best for us. This isn't about Dems or Republicans.....this is about protecting Utah's land from those who claim to protect it from afar. I say enough!! I'm tired of the Robert Redford wannabes who stop land progress once they've built their mansions on it.

Some from the east do care and think it is an outrage. You won't find Congressman Maurice Hinchey suggesting the same thing for the Catskill Mountains which are within his district. The only thing he is fighting for in his home district is more flood monitoring gauges for some of our local streams. The reality is that when Rep. Hinchey is opposed in our district the candidate is often underfunded. Rep. Hinchey has not had a close election since 1994. This is very empowering and makes him feel invincible. When election time comes around again I would suggest seeing if you can help the east cause and help fund a candidate with prudence.

is a communist and his folk song is like a mantra of Marxism. Who appointed Woody Guthrie as our Theologian in Chief? C'mon. It's not "your" land if you didn't pay for it and pay propety taxes on it. The reason the west has vast amounts of "public land" is th dates of admission into the Union..Eastern states are elitist (particularly the North east ivy league states) and have absolutely no concept of the vast wide-open spaces of the west, and what it takes to support communities, cities, counties -- and provide all of the services they expect when they jet-in for a weekend at Moab, get lost and expect local taxpayers to pick-up the tab for their search and rescue. There's NO tax base like in the East with public land to support public schools, like in the East.

This is all about property rights. In discussion on McMansions many said if folks don't like giant houses all they have to do is buy the property.
If people in Utah don't like what the feds do with their land they can go buy it.

Remember that it's not "Utah land." It's land that belongs to all Americans that happens to lie within state boundaries that were drawn later. It's public land, land that belonmgs to the people of the United States.

This proposed legislation is about doing the right thing for THE LAND. The choice is simple---either open these public lands up to energy development and motorized recreation, or preserve them in their natural state for future generations of Utahns and others to enjoy. Relatively few places still exist where we have such a choice to make. Hopefully the policy makers will do what's in the best interest for THE LAND. By doing so, they will have done the right thing for THE PEOPLE as well.

Follow the money. Sierra Club, used to have a $5o million budget, could not varify on their site. Wilderness socity had a $20 million budget, could not varify on their site. SUWA had a $5 million total assets with a $2 million budget last year. NRDC could not varify on their site. If these are 501c3 organizations this information should be available. If you were to add all the true consevationist, people that care about and use the land, in the state I doubt if it would amount to more than $1 or $2 million. This is what we are fighting. Our only hope are the local politicians as our senators don't seem to be listening.

I live out here and I'm sick of watching us tear up our own land. Maybe someone else needs to step in, kinda like my parents used to do when they got sick of me and my sister fighting (which was usually when I started hurting her....what a nice parallel!)

If there were restrictions on the most pristine lands, I'd be happy not to drive my ATV there (when I get enough money to get one...anyone selling a used one?) and canoe or ride my neighbors horses out there instead. We mess with this precious earth too much to be allowed to do whatever we want, wherever we want.

Now your gonna say I don't make my money off the land. I'll be honest. I do, but most of it is tourism, but I don't think wilderness will help my own business.