CWNCRA

Overview

The Central Wasatch National Conservation and Recreation Area Act (CWNCRA) is a nearly decade-old federal bill that, if passed, would be a tool to help to balance the conservation, recreation, and economic interests in the Central Wasatch Mountains. 

The CWNCRA was a key outcome of the Mountain Accord Charter signed in 2015. The Mountain Accord was a convening space that brought together interested parties to discuss and plan for the future of the Central Wasatch Mountains and the Wasatch Front. It was a productive and important process, and the outcome was that we needed a plan for managing users, watershed, recreation, economy, transportation, and the environment. One of the tools for finding that balance was a federal conservation and recreation bill, hence, the CWNCRA. 

How we got to the CWNCRA

Save Our Canyons has long been the voice for the landscape in the Wasatch Mountains. So, we were included as an interested party since the beginning of the Mountain Accord process. We were able to help uplift the landscape itself in negotiations for the future of the range. Once the details of that balance were established in the Mountain Accord, the Accord was signed and tasked the body to form the Central Wasatch Commission (CWC) which would take the Accord’s findings and put them into action. 

One of those action items for the CWC was to draft and pass a bill that would help to balance the needs of all of the parties. The CWNCRA was chosen as a tool to do just that. It provides watershed protections, more resources for the range, and also helps to support the economic drivers (the ski areas) in the canyons. 

Since 2017, Save Our Canyons has maintained our seat at the table with the CWC and continued to advocate for the range. The work of the CWC has ebbed and flowed over the last ten years. Commissioners and their priorities have changed, municipalities and stakeholders have come and gone. But, the focus in the organization is as strong as ever and our role is as important there as it was in 2015. 

And critically, the CWNCRA is still a primary focus and directive of the CWC and of Save Our Canyons.

What the CWNCRA would mean for the Wasatch

The CWNCRA is a tool to help to balance the conservation, recreation, and economic interests in the Tri Canyon Area. 

Think of the CWNCRA as a blanket management of Forest Service lands in the Central Wasatch. It would add a layer of protection and resources for areas that have otherwise been fragmented or unprotected. Much of this land is protected under the 2001 Roadless Rule, which is now under threat. So, the CWNCRA would help with a potential loss of the Roadless Rule. 

The bill would add another layer of protection for our watershed. It would provide more resources for protecting the wild and natural qualities that we all cherish. And, it would help uplift our myriad of dispersed recreation interests that share the range. The bill would also provide the ski areas with more water for snowmaking and potential development allowances at their bases. 

The most recent iteration of the bill, introduced in 2016, has several elements that our organization has long advocated for and supports. Some of these include: 

• The Department of Agriculture (USDA) shall develop a comprehensive plan for the long-term management of the area.

• The bill adjusts the boundaries of Mount Olympus, Twin Peaks, and Lone Peak Wildernesses.

• The bill designates certain land in the forest as the Grandeur Peak-Mount Aire Wilderness and a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System.

• The bill designates approximately 1,800 acres of federal land in the Wasatch-Cache National Forest as the White Pine Special Management Area.

• The bill prohibits timber harvesting within the special management area.

In an ideal world the bill would limit expansion projects we have long been opposed to, like Ski Link or One Wasatch. It also does not destroy the ski area’s capacity to grow their businesses in thoughtful ways, instead it takes big industry in undeveloped lands off the table. But, those specifics are yet to be decided.

The Work Ahead

So, where are we today (August 2026) in this process? 

Today, Save Our Canyons and our partners in local governments like the Town of Alta, Town of Brighton, Cottonwood Heights, and Salt Lake City, alongside the Central Wasatch Commission are working toward a new version of this bill. Currently, the work is similar to the Mountain Accord era. We are again aligning the views of all stakeholders that have vested interest in the canyons. Once we have collective consensus on what the bill will do today, we hope to introduce a version of it as soon as 2027. 

We will continue to advocate for a similar version of what was in the 2020 bill, and hope that we can give the mountains some much needed resource management and cohesion for our canyons, peaks, and forest. As the bill advances through the next stages, there will be multiple opportunities for public input. As we work towards passing this important package of protections and resources for the range, we will keep you updated on progress and opportunities to share your feedback.