Parowan Gap
Utah
Rock art panel in Parowan Gap, Utah
Credit: Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance
In February 2007, the Bureau of Land Management offered several thousand acres surrounding Parowan Gap in an oil and gas lease sale. Parowan Gap contains an exceptionally high concentration of prehistoric rock art panels, most of which are located within an historic district listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Additionally, the Paiute and Hopi Tribes claim cultural affiliation to rock art images within Parowan Gap, and have identified a number of sacred sites and traditional cultural properties within a core area surrounding the historic district.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation and several conservation organizations protested the offering to BLM's Utah State Director, who agreed to defer the parcels surrounding Parowan Gap from the lease sale. Although BLM has extended this deferral through subsequent decisions, Parowan Gap remains open to oil and gas leasing under the applicable resource management plan. The tribes have recommended that BLM close the core area to oil and gas leasing or, at a minimum, include stipulations on leases within the core area that would prohibit lessees from constructing wells, compressor stations and other types of infrastructure. The National Trust and conservation organizations have made similar requests to BLM.
Resources
Letter in Support of Parowan Gap ACEC Nomination (July 2, 2008)
The National Trust for Historic Preservation's letter to the Utah State Office supporting the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance's proposed ACEC nomination for Parowan Gap.
Comments on the Cedar City Field Office Oil and Gas Leasing Draft EA (June 30, 2008)
The National Trust for Historic Preservation's comments on the draft environmental assessment of oil and gas leasing in the eastern portion of the Cedar City Field Office, which includes Parowan Gap.
Protest of Several Parcels Offered in BLM Utah's Feb. 2007 Oil and Gas Lease Sale (Feb. 5, 2007)
The protest filed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and several conservation organizations concerning BLM Utah's decision to offer several parcels adjacent to Parowan Gap in the February 2007 lease sale.
