H.J.R. 22 Enrolled

RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING ROCKVILLE
OPEN SPACE PROJECT
1997 GENERAL SESSION
STATE OF UTAH
Sponsor: Thomas Hatch
A JOINT RESOLUTION OF THE LEGISLATURE SUPPORTING THE CONTINUED
PRESERVATION OF OPEN SPACE VALUES ON THE ROCKVILLE BENCH
ADJACENT TO ROCKVILLE, SPRINGDALE, AND ZION NATIONAL PARK;
ENCOURAGING THE BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT TO ENTER INTO A
LAND EXCHANGE FOR PRIVATE LANDS ON THE ROCKVILLE BENCH FOR
PRESERVATION PURPOSES; REQUESTING THE BUREAU OF LAND
MANAGEMENT TO CONTINUE MANAGING ITS LANDS ADJACENT TO
ROCKVILLE, SPRINGDALE, AND ZION NATIONAL PARK IN A MANNER
COMPATIBLE WITH LOCAL LAND USE PLANS; AND ENCOURAGING THE
SCHOOL AND INSTITUTIONAL TRUST LANDS ADMINISTRATION TO WORK
WITH THE COMMUNITY OF ROCKVILLE TO PRESERVE SCENIC OPEN SPACE
VALUES ON ADMINISTRATION PROPERTY NORTH OF SR9 ON THE WEST END
OF ROCKVILLE.
Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
WHEREAS the Rockville open space project involves approximately 1,000 acres of private
property, Bureau of Land Management property, and Utah State School and Institutional Trust
Lands Administration property, and is for the benefit of Zion National Park and the communities
of Rockville and Springdale, Utah;
WHEREAS the properties are at the southern edge of Zion National Park in southwestern
Utah, within the town limits of Springdale and Rockville;
WHEREAS this open space project is supported by resolutions of the towns of Rockville
and Springdale, and enjoys broad community support;
WHEREAS the National Park Service and Zion National Park have voiced strong support
for the project;

WHEREAS the Bureau of Land Management and the Dixie Resource Area have expressed
interest in pursuing a land exchange for the target properties, and Senator Bennett's office and the
Washington County Commissioners have expressed their support;
WHEREAS to preserve the Rockville Bench, the communities of Rockville and Springdale
have been working with the Jensen and Ruch families, who are the private landowners, the Bureau
of Land Management, and the Utah State School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration;
WHEREAS together, the Ruch and Jensen properties control critical access to the southern
part of Zion National Park;
WHEREAS the Ruch property, which is to the east of, and adjacent to, the Jensen property,
is a spectacular 66 acre parcel of rolling benchlands overlooking the town of Springdale that is slated
for residential development;
WHEREAS the southern 2/3 of the Ruch property is of great value to the Rockville Bench
Open Space Project;
WHEREAS the Jensen property, the core of the project, provides an increasingly popular and
important access to the Petrified Forest area of Zion National Park;
WHEREAS the Jensen property is a breathtaking 276 acres of unimproved sage lands and
pinyon forest which is slated for development into approximately 80 single family homes;
WHEREAS the owner of the property has offered it for sale for public open space purposes,
but the offer will expire when the town of Springdale approves the development plat for the
property;
WHEREAS the Jensen property presently provides an important buffer of open space
between Springdale and Rockville;
WHEREAS protecting the bench will secure the area for its watershed values;
WHEREAS the Utah State School Trust Land is a 320 acre property at the west end of the
Rockville Bench at the foot of two prominent peaks along the south boundary of Zion National Park,
the West Temple and Mount Kinesava, and includes a significant section of Huber Wash just below
the bench;
WHEREAS presently there is an applicant to the state who is interested in developing this

- 2 -

property;
WHEREAS the Utah State School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration has worked
cooperatively with the community of Rockville to responsibly develop trust land in a manner
consistent with its fiduciary responsibilities, and continues to do so;
WHEREAS the Jensen, Utah State School Trust Land, and Bureau of Land Management
properties on the Rockville Bench all adjoin Zion National Park;
WHEREAS the Rockville Bench open space project has proceeded as a cooperative effort
between private land owners, the two affected towns, and the federal government;
WHEREAS this cooperative effort identifies the strong commitment of all participants to the
preservation of the Rockville Bench as public open space; and
WHEREAS because plans are progressing rapidly toward the development of private and
Utah State School Trust properties, there is an urgency to move forward with the project:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah support
the continued preservation of the outstanding open space values on the Rockville Bench adjacent to
Rockville, Springdale, and Zion National Park, and encourage the Bureau of Land Management to
enter into a land exchange for private lands on the Rockville Bench in order to preserve these
properties.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature request that the Bureau of Land
Management continue to cooperatively manage its lands adjacent to Rockville, Springdale, and Zion
National Park in a manner which is compatible with local land use plans.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature request that the State School and
Institutional Trust Lands Administration work with the community of Rockville to preserve
outstanding scenic open space values on School and Institutional Trust Lands property north of SR9
on the west end of Rockville, in a manner consistent with the requirements for management and
disposal of school trust lands set out in statute.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this resolution be sent to the communities of
Rockville and Springdale; Zion National Park; Jim Ruch, property owner; Richard Jensen, property
owner; Milo McCowan, developer; the Bureau of Land Management; the School and Institutional

- 3 -

Trust Lands Administration; the National Park Service; the Washington County Commission; and
to the members of Utah's congressional delegation.

- 4 -