Dear Congressman Bishop, Governor Herbert, and Council Member Jackson,
As business owners in Utah who depend on the sound management of our public lands, we applaud your recent comments regarding the SITLA lease to Anadarko in Grand County’s southern Book Cliffs.
The Utah Outdoor Business Network provides business owners in Utah with information about important public land issues that affect our businesses. The undersigned businesses agree that this lease was premature and disruptive to the cooperative process currently underway to create a public lands bill that will optimize Utah’s lands for the 21st Century.
We agree with Congressman Bishop that “the lower roadless area [in the Book Cliffs] has tremendous values beyond traditional energy resources,” and that the Public Lands Initiative continues “to make great progress toward creating policies that will allow for energy development, outdoor recreation, and habitat conservation.”
We share Governor Herbert’s concerns regarding “the broader ramifications of leasing this portion of SITLA’s holdings at this time,” and support reconsideration of this critical decision.
Finally, we support Council Member Jackson’s statement that the “management of our state lands should require openness and collaboration with other vested interests” including those of us providing jobs of all types related to public lands in Utah.
Thank you for your work on this issue and look forward to a continuing a positive conversation about public land management as it affects all stakeholders.
Best regards,
Utah Outdoor Business Network
Adventure Inn, Anasazi Realty, Back of Beyond Books, Black Diamond, Cali-Cohitta, Camp Chef / Logan Outdoor Products, Canyon Country River Adventures, Canyon Voyages Adventure Company, Canyonlands by Night and Day, Chili Pepper Bike Shop, Christoph & Company, Colorado River and Trails, Deep Desert Expeditions, Eddie McStiff’s, Eklectica Café, Far Out Expeditions, Four Corners Adventures, Goulding’s Lodge & Tours, Holiday River Expeditions, Lost River Clothing, Magpie Cycling Adventures, Moab Adventure Center, Moab Cyclery, Moab Cliffs & Canyons, Moab Half Marathon, Moab Premier Properties, Outdoor Utah Adventure Guide, Outerbike, oneway boatworks, Petzl America, Poison Spider Bicycles, Quality Bicycle Products, Recapture Lodge, Red Cliffs Lodge, Red Desert Adventure, Red River Adventures, Red Rock Pilates, Rim Cyclery, Rim Tours, Sabaku Sushi, Skinny Tire Events, Sloan Law Firm, SOAR Communications, Thompson Manufacturing, Inc., Treasure Mountain Inn, Triassic Industries, Ultra Light Adventure Equipment, Western River Expeditions, Western Spirit Cycling and White Horse Development
