This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

As property owners inside the proposed designation, we are writing to express our support for the newly introduced Central Wasatch Recreation and Conservation Act. The act, which was introduced July 11 by Congressman Jason Chaffetz, resulted from the open and transparent Mountain Accord process.

The legislation will designate nearly 80,000 acres of public lands within the Wasatch Mountains as a National Conservation and Recreation Area and will result in heightened protections for the land, recreational uses and watershed. Though still managed by the U.S. Forest Service, this designation will significantly improve environmental protections for one of our state's most cherished and heavily used landscapes.

The legislation includes voluntary land trades between ski resorts and the Forest Service with the aim of freezing ski resort boundaries within the Cottonwood Canyons and protecting dispersed, non-ski resort-related, recreation. The bill makes it abundantly clear that private property will not be affected and that land use regulation of private property will continue to be performed by local authorities.

In arriving at the legislation, and after significant public input, the Mountain Accord sought to resolve access and conflict issues, improve sustainable transportation measures, acknowledge and enhance the importance of recreation, protect natural resources — including preserving our delicate watershed, and protecting the future of our economy and quality of life which depends on a healthy and intact Wasatch Range. As currently drafted, we believe the Accord's proposed legislation achieves these aims without impacting the rights of nearby private property owners.

As individuals who own property adjacent to and within the areas included in the new designation, we are united in support of these new protections. We believe that the legislation as currently written succeeds both in protecting our rights as landowners and in improving the stewardship of this vibrant and unique public landscape.

We are fortunate to call these mountains our home, but we also recognize that the public lands surrounding our properties are where millions of Utahns and visitors alike go to enjoy nature, explore, picnic, ski, climb, bike, fish, hunt and hike among other activities. These mountains, and the watershed within them, are the source of clean and inexpensive drinking water for a majority of us along the Wasatch Front. Additionally, they're also our first opportunity for interacting with some of the other communities that call this place home, from the elk herds found at the back of Millcreek Canyon to the moose at Albion Basin and the raptors who soar in the winds above the Tri-Canyons. These areas deserve to be protected not just for the benefit of property owners, but also in the interest of the ecological and biological communities harbored within the canyons.

We support the Central Wasatch Conservation and Recreation Act and the additional environmental and recreational protections that will follow the enactment of this legislation.

Rob White, Forrest Shearer, Erme Catino, Gena Cecala-Cottone, Larry Cottone, James Ogilvie, Chris Adams, Marcus Hall, George Vargyas, Klaus Biggers, Lauren Howells, Jocelyn Taylor, Bina Skordas, Lindsey Ryder, Jessica Jacobson, Sandrine Yang, Michele Lowry, Sarah Betts, Shane Brogan, Constance B. White, Joette Langianese, Steve Russell, Cassidy Doucette, Michael Campenella, Bryan O'Meara, Bea O'Meara, Ulrich Brunhart and Lise Brunhart.