{"id":10831,"date":"2013-11-19T05:41:05","date_gmt":"2013-11-19T12:41:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=10831"},"modified":"2026-04-11T12:04:49","modified_gmt":"2026-04-11T17:04:49","slug":"good-news-on-the-san-rafael-swell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2013\/11\/19\/good-news-on-the-san-rafael-swell\/","title":{"rendered":"Good News On The San Rafael Swell"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"SanSan Rafael Swell campground<\/span><\/p>\n

Last Friday Juan Palma; the BLM state director, yanked most of the federal acreage within the San Rafael area that was slated to be on the auction block for oil and gas leases.<\/p>\n

According to an article in the Salt Lake Tribune Utah’s two Republican U.S. Senators called it a “bait and switch”.\u00a0 That is laughable considering that those wilderness lands belong to the public and not to the oil and gas industry.<\/p>\n

Lee Peacock, executive director of the Utah Petroleum industry, \u00a0is quoted in the November 15th Salt Lake Tribune article:<\/p>\n

“It\u2019s disappointing. Leasing is the life blood of the oil and gas industry,” Peacock said. “Leasing is just the beginning of a long process. There are numerous opportunities for public input and regulatory analysis that goes into a particular parcel before it can ever be developed.”<\/em><\/p>\n

The life blood of Utah depends on outdoor recreation and travel industry which generates 7 billion dollars in annual revenue for the state. That industry would suffer greatly with the development of oil and gas drilling in these wilderness areas.<\/p>\n

I applaud Juan Palma’s decision to pull the wilderness acreage from this years\u00a0auction within the San Rafael are in Emery County. Well done.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Articles:<\/p>\n

My recent post: The San Rafael Swell – BLM Keep Oil and Gas drilling out and keep the wilderness intact<\/a><\/p>\n

Salt Lake Tribune: San Rafael Swell land yanked from Utah oil and gas auction<\/a><\/p>\n

NRDC Switchboard: The Interior Department’s Remarkable Decision to Not Allow the Drilling of Utah Wilderness<\/a><\/p>\n

Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance: More great news! Wild lands in San Rafael Swell won\u2019t be leased!<\/a><\/p>\n

Deseret News: BLM pulls controversial San Rafael Swell parcels<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Last Friday Juan Palma; the BLM state director, yanked most of the federal acreage within the San Rafael area that was slated to be on the auction block for oil and gas leases. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":174393,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2152,1012,1254,1015,26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10831","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-conservation","category-emery-county","category-environment-wildlife-ethics","category-san-rafael-swell-area","category-utah"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/san-rafael-swell-mia-mcpherson-5165.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-2OH","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":15239,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2014\/06\/20\/san-rafael-swell-state-park-or-national-monument-designation-in-the-future\/","url_meta":{"origin":10831,"position":0},"title":"San Rafael Swell – State Park or National Monument Designation In The Future?","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"June 20, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"I also felt trepidation about the San Rafael Swell area because nothing within this state that is filled with stones is written in stone except the ancient pictographs and petroglyphs.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The San Rafael Swell, San Rafael Swell, Emery County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/san-rafael-swell-mia-mcpherson-1616.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/san-rafael-swell-mia-mcpherson-1616.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/san-rafael-swell-mia-mcpherson-1616.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/san-rafael-swell-mia-mcpherson-1616.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10127,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2013\/11\/04\/the-san-rafael-swell-blm-keep-oil-and-gas-drilling-out-and-keep-the-wilderness-intact\/","url_meta":{"origin":10831,"position":1},"title":"The San Rafael Swell – BLM Keep Oil And Gas Drilling Out And Keep The Wilderness Intact","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"November 4, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"More environmental studies are needed before these lands in the San Rafael Swell are leased, before a well is drilled. Before it is too late to save a species from extinction.","rel":"","context":"In "Rattlesnakes"","block_context":{"text":"Rattlesnakes","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/wildlife\/rattlesnakes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Petrified sand dune in the San Rafael Swell, Emery County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/san-rafael-swell-sculpted-by-time-mia-mcpherson-2259.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/san-rafael-swell-sculpted-by-time-mia-mcpherson-2259.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/san-rafael-swell-sculpted-by-time-mia-mcpherson-2259.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/san-rafael-swell-sculpted-by-time-mia-mcpherson-2259.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1389,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2010\/11\/20\/utah-rocks-really\/","url_meta":{"origin":10831,"position":2},"title":"Utah Rocks – Really!","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"November 20, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"The Fremont and Barrier Canyon cultures created this rock art on the face of the rock wall at Buckhorn Wash in the San Rafael Swell area of Utah","rel":"","context":"In "Buckhorn Wash"","block_context":{"text":"Buckhorn Wash","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/buckhorn-wash\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Buckhorn Wash - The Alcove Paintings, San Rafael Swell, Emery County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/alcove-paintings-mia-mcpherson-san-rafael-swell-pictograph-utah-1853.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/alcove-paintings-mia-mcpherson-san-rafael-swell-pictograph-utah-1853.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/alcove-paintings-mia-mcpherson-san-rafael-swell-pictograph-utah-1853.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/alcove-paintings-mia-mcpherson-san-rafael-swell-pictograph-utah-1853.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6192,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2012\/09\/26\/lazuli-buntings-near-the-san-rafael-river\/","url_meta":{"origin":10831,"position":3},"title":"Lazuli Buntings Near The San Rafael River","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"September 26, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"I have enjoyed photographing Lazuli Buntings (Passerina amoena) near the San Rafael River at the San Rafael Swell Recreation Area. These images were taken in the spring when the males were high on perches singing to attract females.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Morning at the San Rafael River campground, San Rafael Swell, Emery County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/san-rafael-swell-mia-mcpherson-5166.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/san-rafael-swell-mia-mcpherson-5166.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/san-rafael-swell-mia-mcpherson-5166.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/midget-faded-rattlesnake-mia-mcpherson-emery-county-utah-0834.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/midget-faded-rattlesnake-mia-mcpherson-emery-county-utah-0834.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/midget-faded-rattlesnake-mia-mcpherson-emery-county-utah-0834.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/midget-faded-rattlesnake-mia-mcpherson-emery-county-utah-0834.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1633,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2010\/12\/15\/lazuli-bunting-males\/","url_meta":{"origin":10831,"position":5},"title":"Lazuli Bunting Males","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"December 15, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Male Lazuli Buntings resemble bluebirds but they are smaller and the blues are a different hue than the Mountain, Eastern and Western Bluebirds.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Lazuli Bunting male perched on Greasewood, San Rafael Swell, Emery County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/lazuli-bunting-male-mia-mcpherson-pigweed-4407.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/lazuli-bunting-male-mia-mcpherson-pigweed-4407.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/lazuli-bunting-male-mia-mcpherson-pigweed-4407.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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