A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity exists with H.R. 5009, the Wasatch Wilderness and Watershed Protection Act of 2010. Passage of this federal legislation would add more than 26,000 acres of wilderness and special management areas to the existing 56,000 acres of wilderness on national forest lands above the Salt Lake Valley.
This legislation would preserve wilderness qualities and provide landscape-scale protections to the watersheds and habitat in the high elevations of Parleys, Mill Creek, Big Cottonwood and Little Cottonwood canyons. Existing development, like our ski resort areas and canyon residential communities, would continue to thrive and be sustainable.
Expanding our wilderness areas in the Wasatch Canyons would assure a high-quality water supply for our Salt Lake Valley and accessible mountain recreational opportunities that include scenic solitude, and would secure Salt Lake as a city with immediate respite from our urban environment in our mountains.
With the passage of H.R. 5009, we would also honor the newly protected area as the Wayne Owens Wilderness, encompassing Grandeur Peak and Mount Aire. Congressman Owens was a passionate steward of Utah’s natural areas; passage of the act would be a fitting tribute to him and his legacy.
Congressman Jim Matheson, D-Utah, introduced this legislation to Congress in April after more than a year of intense local collaboration among government agencies, ski resorts, recreational interests, property owners and environmental organizations. The bill strikes a delicate balance among the numerous demands on our canyons (present and future), preservation of a treasured wilderness resource, and the need to protect our valley’s vital watershed.
Since the bill’s introduction, additional important elements have been addressed, including infrastructure and avalanche safety matters raised by the Big Cottonwood Community Council and the Town of Alta.
Development in the Wasatch canyons continues to threaten the water supply for our valley’s growing population. As our numbers increase, so does our demand for water. Underestimating the importance of the Wasatch watersheds to the arid Salt Lake Valley could result in devastating social and environmental consequences.
Public input into the Wasatch Canyons Tomorrow process, facilitated by Envision Utah for the past 15 months, has highlighted the public’s strong desire to protect the mountain environments, the watersheds and aesthetic qualities of the Wasatch for the future. This process has reinforced the conclusion of decades of planning and public lands decisions: Protecting our water and our wilderness qualities and accomplishing a sustainable future is paramount for our community.
The protection act would secure this unique, backyard wilderness for future generations of urban residents seeking mountain solitude. The close proximity of our urban setting to wilderness is extraordinary. “Wilderness” under the 1964 Wilderness Act is a place “untrammeled by man” — where we meet nature on its terms and “opportunities for solitude” provide a haven for quiet beyond the end of the road.
Every time I ascend a ridge or gaze at a meadow of flowers in our Wasatch Mountains back country, I’m grateful these experiences exist. As our population grows, wilderness experiences will be even more valued. Continuing development threatens to permanently destroy the wilderness qualities of White Pine Canyon, Cardiff Fork, Silver Fork, Bear Trap and Flagstaff Peak, among other treasured places. Without the protections in this legislation, pressure for development of these areas will escalate.
The time to protect this wilderness is now. We benefit from decades of careful stewardship and wilderness decisions. The status quo will not provide adequate protection for the future. For our benefit and for the preservation of future generations’ opportunities, let’s encourage Congress to pass Matheson’s farsighted H.R. 5009.
Ralph Becker is the mayor of Salt Lake City.
