For nearly twenty years I have worked with others to protect Washington County’s 62,000-acre Red Cliffs Desert Reserve, now mostly a national conservation area. During that time officials have pushed to put a 4-lane highway through Red Cliffs.
Now proponents of the Northern Corridor have effectively created a rift between those who work to protect Red Cliffs Zone 3 and those who recreate on Zone 6, a new zone added to the original five zones.
This is a sad indictment of local officials. They had to know that creating Zone 6, which includes Moe’s Valley, a popular recreation area with a significant tortoise population, would be a way of getting people on their side in this battle. And, it’s been effective.
Now Zone 6 recreationists are fighting to protect that area while sacrificing Zone 3, the heart of the original Red Cliffs decision in the mid-90s.
It’s sad that in a county that was granted 300,000 acres for development in exchange for 62,000 acres to protect threatened and endangered species, leaders are not more gracious and willing to protect that stunning area. Many have benefited greatly from that agreement.
For several years leaders have had options to help move traffic but now say the options are too expensive or designed poorly. They have dragged their feet for so many years that of course the options are expensive. Officials have allowed development along Red Hills Parkway (the only road approved for expansion by the original agreement), including approving a Switchpoint homeless facility, and now complain about costs to buy property. Treating our homeless community so cavalierly is not leadership. As for poor option design, that could be managed.
People who should fight for the same ends — tortoise protection and recreation — aren’t. They’ve been put at odds and some used as pawns.
Lisa Rutherford, Ivins
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