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Show ASKING DAVE PACHECU Most environmentalists "go green" in their efforts to protect wildlife and biota; for Dave Pacheco, however, it is all about going red forAmerica's redrock habitats. Pacheco, a grassroots organizer for the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, campaigns to protect redrock wilderness within the state from threats of industrialization. A graduate in sociology from the U, Pacheco has since worked with SUWA, Utah Backcountry Volunteers, and Wilderness Volunteers to educate citizens about the unique environment in southern Utah. Wasatch Magazine sat down with Pacheco, who will be tabling at the U's upcoming Earth Fest event on April 10, to learn more about SUWA and how students can "go red" for Utah's redrock as well. Wasatch Magazine: What is the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance? Dave Pacheco: SUWA is made up of people like you — concerned citizens from Utah and throughout the nation who share the common goal of preserving Utah's remaining desert wild lands, known collectively as America's redrock wilderness. Since 1983, SUWA has been the only independent organization working full-time to defend America's redrock wilderness from oil and gas development, unnecessary road construction, rampant off-road vehicle use, and other threats to Utah's wilderness-quality lands. Just this past November, SUWA held its 30th anniversary redrock gala at the Natural History Museum of Utah. WM: What threats to Utah's redrock does SUWA aim to defend against? DP: The mission of the SUWA is the preservation of the outstanding wilderness at the heart of the Colorado Plateau, and the management of these lands in their natural state for the benefit of all Americans. SUWA promotes local and national recognition of the region's unique character through research and public education; supports both administrative and legislative initiatives to permanently protect the Colorado Plateau wild places within the national park and national wilderness preservation systems; or by other protective designations, where appropriate, builds support for such initiatives on both the local and national level; and provides leadership within the conservation movement through uncompromising advocacy for wilderness preservation. Immediate and ongoing threats to the redrock include growing oil and gas development, uncontrolled off-road vehicles, legal disputes over RS2477 "phantom roads;' and the state of Utah's multifaceted attempts to grab ownership of federal lands in Utah. Climate change is threatening Utah's wilderness — yet preserving wilderness is integral to mitigating the affects of climate change on our nation and biosphere. Utah's redrock wilderness country is famous for its sinuous slot canyons and soaring desert buttes, but deep within the folds of this remote landscape lie ancient treasures and astonishing remnants of prehistoric cultures. Wilderness areas are important because they provide long-term protection to the last of our nation's wild landscapes — places that possess spectacular beauty, offer outstanding solitude, support native plants and animals, protect valuable water resources, shelter ancient cultural artifacts, provide opportunities for primitive recreation, and maintain resiliency in the face of global climate change. WM: Why is SUWA important to you? DP:Time spent in the outdoors as a child in central and southern Utah made such a huge impression that I still carry the thrill of immersion in those wild places in my soul today. Hunting, fishing, boating, and other quiet recreational activities all laid the groundwork that would later attract me to SUWA. SUWA is a clas- I love getting together a group of friends and driving along wilderness border roads way out in the backcountry, searching for the perfect camp or getting to that longawaited place you're visiting for the first time..." Dave Pacheco sic example of what a few concerned citizens can do when they start something and work together in the belief they can save special landscapes. The combination of working alongside such caring activists, for what I feel is one the most beautiful places in the world, is a career I could only have dreamed of when I was a U sociology undergraduate back in the 1980s. Thankfully, I get to do satisfying and gratifying work while helping to organize so many others who feel the same way. WM: What is your recreational experience in Utah's redrock? DP: My experiences in the wilderness tend to be of the quiet, slow-paced kind. I love getting together a group of friends and driving along wilderness border roads way out in the backcountry, searching for the perfect camp or getting to that long-awaited place you're visiting for the first time, then hanging out around the campfire with friends, relaxing, and then hiking to area high points or other unique destinations. A major conveyance for these activities are canoes and rafts with paddles. I've fortunately had the pleasure to paddle several of Utah's bigger rivers and streams, which I love because they can get you into more remote wilderness than your vehicle. Non-motorized recreation like paddling, climbing, hiking, fishing, and hunting are the kinds of activity allowed in wilderness, leaving the land untrammeled. In the winter, I tend to snowshoe and otherwise attempt to continue hiking in the snow along the Wasatch and Uintas. Over the last 16 years, I've been involved in wilderness stewardship work as well — providing volunteer service to wilderness in southern Utah and across the country. The groups I volunteer with usually go out for a week at time and help the public lands by conducting trail maintenance, removing invasive trees and plants, rehabilitating impacted campsites, repairing the impacts of ORVs, and much more. WM: How can students get involved with SUWA and wilderness protection? DP: As a student, getting involved in community organizations like SUWA helps set the stage for a lifetime of meaningful involvement in all kinds of significant issues. My first taste of activism was as a U student, probably in 1984, when a group of dedicated students pitched tents on the student union lawn in boycott of U.S. companies doing business in South Africa during apartheid. Witnessing this helped sow some seeds, giving me the belief that perseverance to an issue is both fulfilling and invigorating. SUWA now represents the full-embodiment of that perseverance to me. One action students can take right now is to form a wilderness club on campus. We've already talked to a couple students about this — creating a long-lasting group that can leave a legacy of wilderness preservation, outings, activism, and education at the U. I'm not sure of the nuts and bolts of getting a new club off the ground, but I can say there are several nonprofit groups, besides just SUWA, in Utah who could interact with and partner with the club down the road, opening many avenues for involvement. wm wasat& magazine 5 |