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Important NSA Event

Sedona AZ

Sedona AZ

Sedona AZ (February 12, 2010)The “Smartest Way is the NSA” is a community event planned at the Hilton Sedona Resort and Spa on Wednesday, February 17, 2010. Larry Warren, Emmy-winning TV journalist and public lands advocate, will speak on the economic benefits of preservation and the urgent need for the Sedona/Verde Valley area to support the Sedona-Red Rock National Scenic Area (NSA) designation. Join together to permanently protect our forest lands, economic vitality and quality of life. The event is free to the public, live music to set the tone, light snacks and a cash bar.

This is an opportunity to get the facts, not the inaccuracies about this important legislation.

Preserving the west’s special places for economic, as well as, environmental reasons is both possible and essential, though often difficult, according to Warren. He has written about strong local opposition prior to the designation of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah, and how very different the opinions are today, twenty years later with solid economic benefits supporting the whole region.

sedonaIf you watched the recent PBS series “National Parks”, the series pointed out the same initial opposition to the special designations of the Grand Canyon, Grand Teton and Capitol Reef National Parks, and how opinions reversed with the resulting growth of robust economies in those areas.

Tourism is the economic driver in the Greater Sedona/Verde Valley area, and the product is our remarkable and accessible environment. Jobs and businesses depend on the product and we purchased homes here for these reasons. There is no political bias in the NSA effort, it is an entirely bipartisan effort among conservatives, liberals, Republicans, Democrats, Independents, Libertarians and others. Warren will speak that the NSA designation is good for business and all have a stake in maintaining our red rock forests, clean air and quality of life.

Preservation of 160,000 acres surrounding us is now protected by USFS Amendment 12, which is vital to the economic well being of the entire area. This protection is fine as far as it goes, but can be lost merely through change of the Forest Plan. As long as there is pressure for development in Arizona and the west, and as long as leaders and opinions can change, our lands are highly vulnerable. Land trades may benefit a few in the short term, but if even a small piece goes, precedent is set and like many other once-attractive towns in the west, we are no longer the premier destination we are today.

Our Congressional representative, Ann Kirkpatrick, has publicly committed to preparing and introducing legislation for creation of the NSA, but Ann Kirkpatrick must have no doubt as she is making her final decision that support for the scenic designation is overwhelming. And now we must show her!

Come and do your part. Be inspired, learn the facts, and enjoy a great evening from 5:00-7:00 p.m., Wednesday, February 17, 2010, at the event sponsor Sedona Hilton Resort and Spa lower level Tequa Ballroom, 90 Ridge Trail Drive, just off SR 179 in the Village of Oak Creek, Sedona, Arizona.

For NSA updates, visit KeepSedonaBeautiful.org/nsacoalition.html. This article submitted by Keep Sedona Beautiful, a nonprofit organization that supports the NSA designation.

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