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Autumn, 2009Dearest Friends of America’s Redrock Wilderness,This is a love letter, plain and simple, for the beautiful, broken country we call home in theredrock canyons of Utah. I write to you because of my deep affection for the Southern UtahWilderness Alliance. This is an organization not only close to my heart, but singular in myrespect for the integrity of their work and vigilance in watching that these wildlands remain wild.With SUWA, we have a responsive voice in local, state, and national Utah public lands issuesfocusing on wilderness. With SUWA, we had the first hearing in the United States Congress onAmerica’s Redrock Wilderness Act. With SUWA, Secretary of Interior Salazar had thenecessary legal and collective support to withdraw the 60-plus oil and gas leases activated by theBush administration. With SUWA, I can be an informed citizen regarding the rights andsovereignty of these beloved desert lands, how they can be protected, and what they hold for us asa living legacy of wild beauty.It is the one conservation group I have fully committed myself to over the past thirty years. Callit a fidelity of support. Why?Because SUWA continues to demonstrate brave and spirited leadership in identifying andprotecting Utah wilderness.Because SUWA continues to challenge the courts and change not just the laws, but theconversation occurring around wilderness in Utah.Because SUWA is creating surprising partnerships within local communities that are helping tobroaden and deepen this conversation about conservation and its importance in the cultural andeconomic life of cities and towns adjacent to wilderness.Because SUWA is showing how global warming is becoming local warming on the ColoradoPlateau, making the case that wilderness is an essential safeguard against increasing periods of drought, dust storms, and flash floods.Because SUWA has a large family of advocates across the United States who understandthat part of the power of the redrock wilderness is that it belongs to all Americans as part of ournatural heritage.There is a long tradition of support for the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance. Edward Abbeyalways sent his annual “tithing check” with a letter of gratitude for their fearlessness in the face of 
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