America's Red Rock Wilderness Act
(click here to view current cosponsor list)

Redrock wilderness enjoys a long and storied history of congressional support and action, both in defending Utah wilderness from attack and moving the ball forward on wilderness designation.  America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act has been introduced in the House of Representatives since 1989, first by then-Utah Rep. Wayne Owens, and subsequently by Rep. Maurice Hinchey of New York, a close friend of the late Rep. Owens.  In 1996, Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois agreed to introduce a Senate version of America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act and has done so every Congress since.  It has enjoyed the widespread support of as many as 170 cosponsors in the House and 23 in the Senate.

In October of 2009, America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act received its first stand-alone hearing in the House Natural Resources Committee.  The hearing showcased the support of prominent Utahns – including former Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson, former Republican State Legislator Bryson Garbett, and Black Diamond CEO Peter Metcalf – who all spoke passionately on the importance of protecting the redrock for the future of the state.

America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act has served as a model and yardstick against which to compare other BLM wilderness proposals for Utah.  Its national support in Congress has served to defeat or substantially improve deficient proposals for Washington County, the West Desert and the San Rafael Swell.

All lands proposed for wilderness designation in America's Red Rock Wilderness Act are owned by the American public and administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The bill is supported by SUWA, the Wasatch Mountain Club, the Sierra Club, The Wilderness Society, the Natural Resources Defense Council, Earthjustice, and more than 200 other national and regional conservation organizations belonging to the Utah Wilderness Coalition.

• Read the story of America's Red Rock Wilderness Act
• See the list of congressional cosponsors
• Read the text of America's Red Rock Wilderness Act (111th Congress)
• View maps of each region in the bill (UWC website)
• Read Wilderness at the Edge, the original Citizens' Proposal
• Learn about Utah's BLM roadless areas
• Watch our Wild Utah video

America's Redrock Wilderness

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Interactive Map: Lands Proposed for
Wilderness  Designation in
America's Red Rock Wilderness Act
(Click here for PDF file)