Why the Colorado Plateau
Covering a massive 100 million acres in Utah, Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico, the Colorado Plateau is home to a variety of different ecosystems.
Ranging from Red Rock canyons to alpine forests and peaks, it is one of the wildest areas in the country. But drilling, mining, and climate change threaten the Colorado Plateau.
We’re making sure that the wildest places in the Colorado Plateau are safe from drilling and mining.
What’s at stake
More than 40 million people visit the Colorado Plateau every year. Visiting places like the Grand Canyon, Mesa Verde, and Grand Staircase-Escalante is a popular pastime, and helps bolster local economies. But the places people love to visit are at risk from drilling and mining threats. Those places are:
What we’re doing
The Wilderness Society is working with communities and federal agencies on the ground. We’re making sure that the wildest places in the Colorado Plateau are safe from drilling and mining. We’re also working to make sure that the communities in the region are safe from the pollution caused by mining and drilling.
How we’re doing it
We’re forming alliances with diverse groups like sportsmen, business leaders, and local groups to achieve our conservation goals. Our reputation in the region is very positive, and The Wilderness Society is seen as the “go-to” organization for land protection.
Successes
We’ve had great success in the Colorado Plateau in recent years. The 2009 Omnibus Public Lands bill protected more than 250,000 acres in Utah’s Zion-Mojave region as wilderness.
