Pioneer Park is a local treasure that is enjoyed by Washington County residents and tourists alike. The Park offers open spaces that border the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve, a National Conservation Area set up to protect the endangered Desert Tortoise and to preserve the “ecological, scenic, wildlife, recreational, cultural, historical, natural, educational, and scientific resources” of the region for present and future generations the City of St. George (More information). Pioneer Park is located just above St. George in the iconic red cliffs that the area is known for.

The Utah Department of Transportation, the Washington County Commissioners, and the Bureau of Land Management are pushing to build a highway through the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve. Not only will this road go directly through delicate tortoise habitat, but it will also border the northern section of Pioneer Park.

The Northern Corridor, as the road is known, would isolate the park, transform the open space ambiance, and effectively eliminating the countless recreation opportunities accessible from the park. It also sets a dangerous precedent degrading the protection the NCA was created to provide.

We oppose all road construction within the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve. We oppose changes to Pioneer Park’s esthetic, ambiance, and access to the Reserve.

We are in favor of any o thorough consideration of the transportation alternatives. Some of these alternatives are detailed in the Draft Environmental Impact Study Statement coauthored by the BLM and USFWS (accessible here). Further alternatives have been proposed by Conserve Southwest Utah (accessible here). The study shows that the Northern Corridor is neither the only nor the best option for mitigating traffic concerns. and

 We demand officials implement one of the alternatives, leaving the National Conservation Area and the unique, pristine, experience Pioneer Park offers intact.