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H.C.R. 5 Enrolled

                 

RESOLUTION EXPRESSING PREFERRED

                 
APPROACH TO WILDERNESS DESIGNATION

                 
1999 GENERAL SESSION

                 
STATE OF UTAH

                 
Sponsor: Bradley T. Johnson

                  A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION OF THE LEGISLATURE AND THE GOVERNOR
                  ENCOURAGING A REGIONAL APPROACH TO WILDERNESS DESIGNATION; AND
                  URGING ALL PARTIES TO WORK TOGETHER WITH THE GOVERNOR TO DEVELOP A
                  CONGRESSIONAL PROPOSAL FOR THE DESIGNATION OF WILDERNESS IN THE
                  STATE OF UTAH WHICH PROTECTS VALID EXISTING RIGHTS ON FEDERALLY
                  MANAGED LAND AND ON ALL LAND CONTIGUOUS TO FEDERALLY MANAGED
                  LAND.
                  Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah, the Governor concurring therein:
                      WHEREAS, Utahns share a common love of the land and its resources;
                      WHEREAS, the issue of wilderness designation has faced the people of Utah for decades;
                      WHEREAS, because the land being considered for wilderness designation is already
                  protected by numerous federal laws and regulations and wilderness designation inevitably involves
                  resource management tradeoffs which may enhance some resource values but hurt others, any
                  responsible wilderness designation process must thoroughly weigh these tradeoffs;
                      WHEREAS, land and resource conservation decisions must also consider the relationship
                  between the land and the local economy, because many jobs are tied to activities on public lands
                  such as mining, agriculture, and tourism;
                      WHEREAS, previous attempts at a statewide designation of wilderness in Utah have failed;
                      WHEREAS, the Governor and others have recently developed an innovative process to
                  resolve difficult problems such as the designation of wilderness;
                      WHEREAS, this process, known as Enlibra, is based upon the principles of balance,
                  stewardship, and collaboration of affected parties;
                      WHEREAS, Enlibra can only be successful if it fosters early consultation and complete
                  inclusion of all parties with an interest in the resolution of the Utah wilderness problem;


                      WHEREAS, the Governor and the Legislature agree that the standards set forth in the
                  Wilderness Act of 1964 must be the guiding principles and criteria for identifying lands that will be
                  recommended for designation of wilderness;
                      WHEREAS, the Wilderness Act of 1964 precisely defines the characteristics that an area of
                  federal land must meet to qualify as wilderness as: 'an area where the earth and its community of life
                  are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain. An area of
                  wilderness is further defined to mean in this act an area of undeveloped federal land retaining its
                  primeval character and influence, without permanent improvements or human habitation, which is
                  protected and managed so as to preserve its natural conditions and which:
                      (1) generally appears to have been affected primarily by the forces of nature, with the imprint
                  of man's work substantially unnoticeable;
                      (2) has outstanding opportunities for solitude or a primitive and unconfined type of
                  recreation;
                      (3) has at least five thousand acres of land or is of sufficient size as to make practicable its
                  preservation and use in an unimpaired condition; and
                      (4) may also contain ecological, geological, or other features of scientific, educational,
                  scenic, or historic value'; and
                      WHEREAS, 43 U.S.C. Section 1782 (1998) provides that: "the Secretary shall review those
                  roadless areas of 5,000 acres or more and roadless islands of the public lands, identified during the
                  inventory required by Section 201(a) of this Act as having wilderness characteristics described in
                  the Wilderness Act of September 3, 1964 (78 Stat. 890; 16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.) and shall from time
                  to time report to the President his recommendation as to the suitability or nonsuitability of each such
                  area or island for preservation as wilderness":
                      NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah, the
                  Governor concurring therein, find that a regional strategy involving all affected parties is the
                  preferred approach to wilderness designation.
                      BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and the state of Utah, the Governor
                  concurring therein, urge the United States Department of the Interior, local government authorities,

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                  those affected state agencies, the Utah congressional delegation, industry, sportsmen, recreational
                  interests, and environmentalists to work together in concert with the Governor of the state of Utah
                  to develop a congressional proposal for the designation of wilderness in Utah.
                      BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that any designation of wilderness in Utah must include,
                  recognize, and protect all valid existing rights on federally managed land and on all land contiguous
                  to federally managed land.
                      BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this resolution be sent to the Secretary of the
                  Interior, the members of Utah's congressional delegation, and each county legislative body in the
                  state.

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