Sedona AZ June 10 2010: Breaking new update on this story!   Joining Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick in Washington DC for a Congressional subcommittee hearing today were Sedona Mayor Rob Adams and City Councilmember Barbara Litrell, both testifying of the economic need to preserve the Red Rocks with the NSA designation.  Future action is uncertain at this time. 

The Coalition for the Sedona Red Rock National Scenic Area Designation announced today that a critically important step towards passing the National Scenic Area Designation Legislation, H.R. 4823, will take place when this legislation is presented to a hearing of the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on June 10, 2010 in Washington, D.C.   This legislation was first introduced into Congress by Representative Ann Kirkpatrick in March, 2010, and will insure the protection of some 160,000 acres of pristine National Forest Service lands within the Sedona-Red Rock Area.

Two members of the NSA Coalition will be participating as witnesses in front of the subcommittee along with members of Congress and the National Forest Service. H.R. 4823 is the result of years of collaborative efforts, which have transcended party politics, and united diverse groups and interests within the Sedona area. In March of this year a new Sedona City Council was elected by an overwhelming majority based partly on a platform which included support of the Scenic Area Designation.

This Bill is a tremendous opportunity to “further preserve the unique natural resources of our area and to encourage visits to the areas, driving economic development for local communities,” commented Representative Ann Kirkpatrick in a letter to her constituents. The NSA Coalition would like to thank Representative Kirkpatrick and her staff as well as Representative Raul Grijalva (CD 7) and his staff for their work and support. Representative Grijalva is Chair of the Subcommittee which will be hearing the Bill and has a strong record of environmental conservation. Representative Ann Kirkpatrick, whose District (CD1) is home to the Sedona Red Rock Scenic Area, was elected to Congress in 2008.

The Sedona-Red Rock National Scenic Area Coalition consists of a number of local non-profit organizations who have come together to promote and secure the Designation.