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ST. GEORGE, Utah (AP) -- A new federal plan aims to tackle some of the thorniest land-use issues in Washington County, the fifth-fastest growing county in the nation.
The plan offers a network of off-road trails, 221,000 acres of federal wilderness, protection for an endangered tortoise, sales of some federal lands, and conservation of waterways and scenic vistas near Zion National Park.
Sen. Bob Bennett, R-Utah, and Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, unveiled the plan Wednesday in St. George.
The proposal was launched in June 2004 by then-Gov. Olene Walker to address population growth in the region. Washington County's population grew about 7.7 percent last year, and more than 30 percent since 2000.
"As this phenomenal growth continues, we must pair it with responsible conservation strategies to ensure that growth is managed the right way," Bennett said. Much of the county's land is under federal control.
The proposal is subject to change based on upcoming public meetings.
Bennett said he plans to introduce a final version of the bill in Congress later this spring and hopes for final passage before the end of the year.
The measure is patterned after a pair of land-use bills pushed by Democratic Sen. Harry Reid to deal with growth and disputes in Nevada's Lincoln and Clark counties, just across the border from Washington County.
"It is vital that the bill protects important wildlife habitat and ecosystems, rather than leaving them vulnerable to rampant development," the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance said in a statement Wednesday. The group is particularly concerned about protecting the endangered desert tortoise. The plan would set aside a conservation area for the tortoise.
County and local officials are putting together a commission to consider ways to rein in urban sprawl.
Of the 221,000 acres of wilderness in the bill, 123,743 acres are within the boundaries of Zion National Park, 92,914 acres are managed by the Bureau of Land Management and 2,642 acres are managed by the U.S. Forest Service.
It identifies 170 miles of the Virgin River and its tributaries as a Wild and Scenic River, granting them additional protection. It would be the first river in the state with such a designation.
It would allow sales of some federal land determined not to be environmentally sensitive. The revenues would go to Utah schools, county fire and flood protection, water projects, habitat conservation, trail repair and other projects.
It would also set up a process to identify routes for the High Desert Off-Highway Vehicle Trail System, a network of trails that off-roaders would like to see from Beaver County to the Arizona border.
The Nature Conservancy also has expressed interest in purchasing conservation easements on land adjacent to the park to protect scenic views and habitat for an endangered plant.
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
