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Ranging from Red Rock canyons to alpine forests and peaks, it is one of the wildest areas in the country. But drilling, mining, and climate change threaten the Colorado Plateau.

We're making sure that the wildest places in the Colorado Plateau are safe from drilling and mining.

What's at stake

More than 40 million people visit the Colorado Plateau every year. Visiting places like the Grand Canyon, Mesa Verde, and Grand Staircase-Escalante is a popular pastime, and helps bolster local economies. But the places people love to visit are at risk from drilling and mining threats. Those places are:

What we're doing

The Wilderness Society is working with communities and federal agencies on the ground. We're making sure that the wildest places in the Colorado Plateau are safe from drilling and mining. We're also working to make sure that the communities in the region are safe from the pollution caused by mining and drilling.

How we're doing it

We're forming alliances with diverse groups like sportsmen, business leaders, and local groups to achieve our conservation goals. Our reputation in the region is very positive, and The Wilderness Society is seen as the "go-to" organization for land protection.

Successes

We've had great success in the Colorado Plateau in recent years. The 2009 Omnibus Public Lands bill protected more than 250,000 acres in Utah's Zion-Mojave region as wilderness.

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Ranging from Red Rock canyons to alpine forests and peaks, it is one of the wildest areas in the country. But drilling, mining, and climate change threaten the Colorado Plateau. We're making sure that the wildest places in the Colorado Plateau are safe from drilling and mining.

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Lake Missoula / Scablands / Columbia Flood Basalt: Sacred Sites of the Epic of Evolution

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During the final throes of the Ice Age, a little over 12,000 years ago, the Columbia took form with the catastrophic collapse of an enormous ice dam. The dam held back the waters of a vast inland sea known as Lake Missoula, and when it burst, waters exploded forth at a rate ten times the combined flow of all the rivers in the world!

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United States Pacific Region (Britannica.com)

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Volcanic arcs and oceanic trenches partly encircling the Pacific Basin form the so-called Ring of Fire, a zone of frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. The trenches are shown in blue-green. The volcanic island arcs, although not labelled, are parallel to, and always landward of, the trenches. For example, the island arc associated with the Aleutian Trench is represented by the long chain of volcanoes that make up the Aleutian Islands.

URL: https://pubs.usgs.gov/publications/text/fire.html
Last updated: 05.05.99
Contact: bhanks@usgs.gov

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Volcanic arcs and oceanic trenches partly encircling the Pacific Basin form the so-called Ring of Fire, a zone of frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. The trenches are shown in blue-green. The volcanic island arcs, although not labelled, are parallel to, and always landward of, the trenches.

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George Oze / Alamy

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Experience Active the Active Volcanic Landscape of Mauna Loa and Kilauea
Five volcanoes make up the Big Island of Hawaii, and Hawaii Volcanoes National Park protects two of them -- Mauna Loa and Kilauea. These volcanoes are among the world's most active, and have occupied a special place in Hawaiian culture since the first Polynesians migrated to the islands, hundreds of years ago.

Today their predominantly non-violent eruptions, which ooze slow waves of lava far more often than they explode, are of particular interest to volcanologists. But at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, even everyday visitors can get very close to the action. The Jaggar Museum offers an enclosed viewing room that overlooks the Kilauea Caldera, and scenic drives like Chain of Craters Road provide opportunities to witness active lava flows, depending on conditions. But even if you're not into checking out the business end of a volcano, there are plenty of hiking and biking trails to explore in the park. Lush rain forests, wild beaches, arid lava flats and even alpine tundra can be found within the park's boundaries. Keep your eyes peeled for native endangered species like Nene, Hawaiian petrels and hawksbill sea turtles. Cultural events are often held in or near the park's visitor center.

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Experience Active the Active Volcanic Landscape of Mauna Loa and Kilauea Five volcanoes make up the Big Island of Hawaii, and Hawaii Volcanoes National Park protects two of them -- Mauna Loa and Kilauea. These volcanoes are among the world's...