The Grand Staircase and Escalante Region of Southern Utah is a vast and unspoiled wilderness. But it is rife with controversay. President Clinton recently signed a bill that protects 1.5 million acres of this Wilderness from developers. But on the very fringes of this wilderness Conoco is drilling for oil. There is a vast coal deposit here, and mining companies want to mine it. There is so much coal in this region that there is an area called the Burning Hills (info to come soon!), where naturally occuring underground fires burn, and have for centuries. There is a movement to keep development out of this area.
Hr1500 is the Wilderness Area Bill that would keep developers out. One of the opponants of the Wilderness designation has stated that this area lacks the natural beauty needed to designate an area as wilderness. Oh! But beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and for those of us who can see the beauty in it's labrinth of canyons and mesas there is no place like it on earth. I vote to keep it wild!
Click photo to view full sized image.
Photo Courtesy of the B.L.M.
The Escalante River was the last river to be discovered in the lower 48 states. It was not until 1872, after Major John Wesley Powell had floated
past the mouth of the river twice while exploring the Colorado River (1869 and
1871) that it was finally discovered. The side canyons and tributaries of the Escalante
comprise some 350 miles of backcountry routes.
Click on photo to view full size photo.
Photo Courtesy of the B.L.M.
The Grand Staircase and the Kaiporowits Plateau are some of the most rugged landscapes in the U.S. From deep Sonoran Canyons to Alpine heights, it is all there, and only a matter of a few miles from one to the other. This area is home to many rare creatures and plants, having had little contact with the outside world. It's designation as a Wilderness Area will assure this wilderness it's continued survival.
