Redford in campaign to boost wilderness [Robert Redford greenie alert]

Salt Lake Tribune ^ | 4/2/2004 | Brent Israelsen

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

Utah's Sundance Kid has joined more than 100 notable Americans in a campaign to celebrate the nation's wild treasures.

Robert Redford on Wednesday helped launch "Americans for Wilderness," a group commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Wilderness Preservation Act.

The Oscar-winning director and actor said the act -- which President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law Sept. 3, 1964 -- was a bipartisan effort to recognize that some places "are so powerful we use them to identify the best of ourselves."

To date, more than 105 million acres of public lands, mostly within national forests, have been set aside as wilderness, which prohibits development and mechanized access. That figure represents about 5 percent of U.S. land, although just 2 percent of the lower 48 states enjoys wilderness protection.

Environmentalists are working to protect millions of acres more, including 9 million acres in southern Utah. "We should be protecting these areas for future generations," said Redford, who lives in Provo Canyon.

Americans for Wilderness is a committee of the Campaign for American Wilderness, a Washington, D.C.-based interest group headed by Mike Matz, the former director of the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance.

Members of the committee plan to stump for wilderness from now until the Sept. 3 anniversary date, which will be observed with a big celebration in Washington.

Joining Redford on the committee are musicians Emmylou Harris and Don Henley; actors Christopher Reeve, Ted Danson, Morgan Freeman and Laura Dern, and author Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

The campaign also includes numerous business leaders, scientists and former public servants, such as investment banker Theodore Roosevelt IV; Black Diamond CEO Peter Metcalf, of Salt Lake City; and former presidents Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

To date, more than 105 million acres of public lands, mostly within national forests, have been set aside as wilderness, which prohibits development and mechanized access.

They talk about this like it's wonderful. I consider it a crime.

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[The G Man]

"Robert Redford greenie alert"

You spelled "weenie" wrong.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

Ping!!

[newsmeat.com]

A list of how Redford blows his cash on Dems. (disregard the 'San Marino' entry...that's not him.)

[frankenMonkey]

Fascinating the Robert has bought-up and developed his own little slice of wilderness for his own commercial use. Sundance Resort

[stuartcr]

Why are you against preserving the wilderness?

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

"We should be protecting these areas for future generations," said Redford, who lives in Provo Canyon.

Redford, like the other rich greenies, is driving to make wilderness property so expensive that only his skiffy celebrity friends can afford to live there. His plans are proceeding beyond his wildest dreams. No wonder he is crowing. During the Klinton administration, it was great to be able to pick up the phone and dictate forest policy to Klinton, who ordered his Secretary of the Interior to make it happen post-haste. Bush won't reverse those policies because he doesn't want to appear environmentally unfriendly.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

We can't take care of the wilderness we already have.

[Voltage]

I am waiting for Redford to close his skii resort so the trees can again grow on its slopes.

Or maybe its do as I say, not as I do?

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

Read #8. And, what do you have against wilderness access? How can you justify locking citizens off "public" lands? Forget about development, you can't even be there. I thought it belonged to everybody. It only belongs to people like Robert Redford.

[TonyWojo]

We should be protecting these areas for future generations

Always sounds like a wonderful plan. Until individual property owners start losing, grazing rights, land, virtually everything they own.

Do a search on wild lands project or sustainable environment.

The term public lands is also false it is privately held government lands.

[cousair]

Redford used to be someone we listened to, but in his older years he has become someone we want to run from. He always has issues, as do most of the Hollywood types. His rantings may be issues as long as they make money for someone, but for most of us, we drive through the mountains and enjoy the view and it has nothing to do with R. Redford, thank goodness.

[doug from upland]

1st step --- get rid of Sundance, replant millions of trees, tear out roads, and make it pristine wilderness again. And if you won't, Sundance Kid, STFU!

[Porterville]

Can't we have a movement that encourages development of unused land??? Start a movement to take the land the Fed stole and give it bakc to the state and people of the state?? Who do we petition to take down the communist who'd steal every bit of private property in this country?

[Sangria]

Hey, Redford, it won't matter how much land you want to reserve for this or reserve for that. When HRC and JFK come into power, it will be the Global Government who will assign the land. Then maybe all you communists will be happy.

[Eala]

Hey, Redford, Redfriend ... Then maybe all you communists will be happy.

[stuartcr]

That's no reason for not wanting to preserve it, or at least trying.

[McGavin999]

For God's sake! We're in a war against terrorism, we're fighting for our very lives, and this moron is worried about trees!!!!

Do something useful with your life you empty headed moron!

[stuartcr]

That doesn't seem like a good reason for not wanting to preserve the wilderness. As bad as it is, I would think that a few rich people would be better for wilderness preservation, than a whole bunch of people with RVs, logging trucks, and off-road vehicles. Since I'm not rich, I may not be able to use this property, but at least the critters that live there would be better off.