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Conservation Highlights of the San Rafael Swell and Labyrinth Canyon

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Conservation Highlights of the San Rafael Swell and Labyrinth Canyon CONSERVATION HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SAN RAFAEL SWELL AND LABYRINTH CANYON Essential Improvements to the Emery County Public Land Management Act of 2018 Labyrinth Canyon Tidwell Bottom / Photo © James Kay TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION . 5 MUDDY CREEK WILDERNESS ADDITION . 8 LABYRINTH CANYON WILDERNESS ADDITION . 12 SAN RAFAEL BADLANDS NATIONAL CONSERVATION AREA . 16 2 3 Labyrinth Canyon Wilderness Addition / Photo by Ray Bloxham 4 PRICE 10 6 DESOLATION HUNTINGTON CANYON 191 CASTLE DALE 10 GREEN RIVER SALINA SAN RAFAEL SWELL I-70 EMERY I-70 24 LABYRINTH CANYON HANKSVILLE Introduction Between the Utah towns of Salina and • Only one side of Labyrinth Canyon would Simply stated, there is little or no conserva- Green River, Interstate 70 cuts through a be protected, and the portion that would be tion gain in this bill. In fact, this bill wouldn’t great dome of uplifted sedimentary rock designated is pitifully small. close a single off-road vehicle route. No called the San Rafael Swell. Fifty miles long lands that are threatened by leasing would and thirty miles wide, the Swell rises 1,500 • The largest intact wilderness in the be closed to leasing. We understand that feet above the surrounding desert, forming Swell—Muddy Creek—would be chopped part of the intention of the bill is, in fact, to one of the scenic and geological wonders down in size by cutting it up with off-road prevent future conservation gains. of the world. vehicle routes. With your help, we can work to improve this • None of the western Swell Badlands To the east, the Green River sinks gently legislation to a point that ensures that these —Molen Reef, Upper Muddy Creek, Cedar into the land, winding for 50 miles through remarkable, remote, and world-renowned Mountain and similar places—would be a series of “bowknot” curves before entering landscapes receive the protection they’ve given any protection at all. Canyonlands National Park. This is Laby- long deserved. rinth Canyon, one of the last great stretches • Wilderness Study Areas (WSAs) would of wild river in the West. be released in the Sids Mountain region to Sincerely, ensure that off-road vehicle use in those Scott Groene While this landscape has been the subject of canyons would be perpetuated. Executive Director proposed legislation for the past 50 years, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance legislation has never risen to a level worthy While the main failure of this bill would of places like Labyrinth Canyon, Muddy be the lack of protection for the Swell’s Creek and the San Rafael Badlands. Now, iconic wilderness landscapes, the bill also Utah Senator Orrin Hatch and Represen- includes other poison pills: tative John Curtis have once again intro- duced legislation for these areas. And once • Hands over control of the southern San again, that legislation fails to protect the Rafael Reef—including areas such as Chute world-class wilderness of the San Rafael and Crack Canyons—to the State of Utah, Swell and Labyrinth Canyon. So far, the which will charge the public for visiting Utah delegation has refused to compromise their public lands, with proceeds given to on a one-sided wilderness proposal the state or Emery County. drummed up by local politicians—a pro- posal that omits Wilderness designation • Allows Utah politicians to continue their for more than 900,000 acres that deserve litigation against the United States to force protection. off-road vehicles trails into the same lands designated as Wilderness by the bill. The boundaries of what would be designated • Removes WSA protection to allow for as Wilderness by the legislation are absurd. coal mining. For example: 5 6 7 Muddy Creek Wilderness Addition / Photo by Ray Bloxham MUDDY CREEK WILDERNESS ADDITION 8 Highlights cluding technical and non-technical canyons Constituting the southern portion of the such as Seger’s Hole, Chimney Canyon, San Rafael Swell—and reaching from Baptist Draw, Upper Chute Canyon, Lower the interior of the Swell to the northeast Squeeze, Seger’s Window Canyon, and The corner of Capitol Reef National Park— Gorge of Muddy Creek. Muddy Creek is the second largest block of undeveloped BLM land in Utah. With Emery County Public Lands nearly a quarter of a million acres that Management Act of 2018 deserve Wilderness protection, the Muddy The Emery County Public Lands Act of Creek landscape represents every landform 2018 fails to account for the whole of this found in the San Rafael region: 200 million wild and contiguous wilderness landscape, years of geologic history from the Permian and instead proposes to protect only a Coconino Sandstone to Tertiary igneous portion of the larger Muddy Creek area. Of intrusions folded and carved into towering the 239,000-acre Muddy Creek wilderness mesas; sweeping badlands; impassable unit—all of which BLM agrees qualifies as reefs; slickrock domes and canyons; and wilderness—the legislation only designates black walls of desert varnish. This remote the 30,500-acre Muddy Creek Wilderness region provides for extraordinary kayaking, Study Area and 8,700 acres of the Muddy canyoneering, backpacking, day hiking, and “THE UTAH DESERTS AND Creek Natural Area as Wilderness. Even the car camping trips proposed NCA for this area stops at the PLATEAUS AND CANYONS ARE arbitrary southern boundary of Emery Biological Community County, and fails to account for the contig- NOT A COUNTRY OF BIG RETURNS, Sparse desert shrubs and grasses occur uous wilderness landscape that continues throughout the landscape, with scattered BUT A COUNTRY OF SPIRITUAL into Wayne County. In order to give the pinyon and juniper trees found in the Muddy Creek region the lasting preserva- HEALING, INCOMPARABLE FOR higher elevation ecotypes. Cottonwood tion that it deserves, the legislation must: groves occur along many canyon and wash CONTEMPLATION, MEDITATION, bottoms. Five candidate, one proposed, • Designate the entire 239,000-acre Muddy and two listed threatened or endangered SOLITUDE, QUIET, AWE, PEACE Creek proposed wilderness unit as Wilder- plant species are known within or near ness, ensuring that this wilderness treasure OF MIND AND BODY. WE WERE the area. Desert bighorn sheep, mule deer, is preserved in its entirety and without the wild horses, gray fox, kit fox, and smaller presence of habitat fragmenting off-road BORN OF WILDERNESS, AND WE mammals inhabit the region. Raptors in- vehicle routes. This area includes contiguous RESPOND TO IT MORE THAN WE clude bald and golden eagles, ferruginous public lands in both Emery and Wayne hawks, and rough-legged hawks. Counties (196,000 acres in Emery County SOMETIMES REALIZE. WE DEPEND and 43,000 acres in Wayne County). The Cultural Resources 239,000-acre landscape is a BLM-identified ON IT INCREASINGLY FOR RELIEF Several archaeological sites including rock land with wilderness characteristics (LWC), FROM THE TERMITE LIFE WE HAVE art and structures are known, but the full meaning that the agency has determined extent of cultural resources is unknown. that it qualifies for wilderness designation CREATED. FACTORIES, POWER Historic mining and ranching infrastruc- under the requirements of the Wilderness PLANTS, RESORTS, WE CAN MAKE ture exists throughout the area. Act of 1964. Cutting off protections at an arbitrary political boundary is irrational, ANYWHERE. WILDERNESS, ONCE Recreation creates a difficult management situation, The rugged and remote terrain offers and fails to protect the entirety of this WE HAVE GIVEN IT UP, IS BEYOND endless and unforgettable opportunities deserving landscape. Compared to the OUR RECONSTRUCTION.” for solitude and primitive recreation, Emery County proposal, protecting the including hiking, backpacking, canyoneer- entire Muddy Creek region would add – WALLACE STEGNER, 1990 ing, kayaking, photography, geologic study, approx. 165,000 acres of designated Wil- and horseback riding. The Muddy Creek derness to the legislation (121,625 acres in area is internationally renowned for its Emery County and 43,310 acres in Wayne canyoneering and hiking opportunities, in- County). 9 • In protecting the entire Muddy Creek unit as Wilderness, the portion of Muddy Creek that is currently proposed as an NCA by Emery County must also be designated as Wilderness. Failure to do so rolls back exist- ing wilderness protections for the area. • Permanently close the Behind the Reef motorized route and its spur routes, which bisect and would adversely impact the integrity of the Muddy Creek Wilderness. Wilderness designation would also prevent any future attempt to allow motorized use within the portion of Muddy Creek that cuts through the San Rafael Swell. Muddy Creek Wilderness Addition / Photo by Ray Bloxham 10 Muddy Creek Wilderness Addition / Photo by Ray Bloxham 11 Labyrinth Canyon Wilderness Addition / Photo by Neal Clark LABYRINTH CANYON WILDERNESS ADDITION 12 Highlights Canyon is also home to early pioneer sites, The Labyrinth Canyon of today differs little historic mines, and engravings from early from the wilderness landscape described explorers to the region. by John Wesley Powell during his famous 1869 expedition down the Green and Recreation Colorado Rivers. This world-class stretch With nearly 50 miles of smooth water of flat water—unbroken by rapids or falls unbroken by rapids or falls, Labyrinth on its 50-mile journey from Red Wash near Canyon is a river runner’s paradise. Cutting Trin-Alcove Bend to Canyonlands National a path through Navajo Sandstone on its Park—offers spectacular opportunities for way towards the confluence with the Green quiet recreation and sightseeing, provides River in Canyonlands National Park, the critical wildlife and plant habitat, and canyon and its tributaries are riddled with contains a wealth of prehistoric cultural alcoves and caves, natural bridges, and resources. Cutting its way through tower- towering cliff faces. River runners enjoy the ing walls of Navajo Sandstone, Labyrinth sight of Navajo Sandstone cliffs gradually Canyon’s endless series of “bowknot” rising out the flat-lying deserts as they float curves contain unique riparian habitat and down the smooth waters of the Green River.
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