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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