Testimony: Writers of the West Speak on Behalf of Utah Wilderness

by Stephen Trimble, Terry Tempest Williams

Barry Lopez, William Kittredge, John McPhee, Mark Strand, Ann Zwinger, and fifteen other prominent novelists, nature writers, and poets offer writings as testimony in the face of assaults on government-protected lands. Originally published and presented to Congress last fall, this book serves as a valuable introduction to the current crisis America faces.

Genres: Nonfiction, Nature

112 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1996

About the author

As writer, editor, and photographer, Stephen Trimble has published 25 award-winning books during 45 years of paying attention to the landscapes and peoples of the Desert West. He’s received The Sierra Club's Ansel Adams Award for photography and conservation and a Doctor of Humane Letters from his alma mater, Colorado College. In 2019, he was honored as one of Utah’s 15 most influential artists.

Trimble speaks and writes as a conservation advocate and has taught writing at the University of Utah. He makes his home in Salt Lake City and in the redrock country of Torrey, Utah. Environmental historian James Aton has said: Trimble's books comprise one of the most well-rounded, sustained, and profound visions of people and landscape that we have ever seen in the American West.

Reviews

[Ivana · Rating 5 out of 5]

The words of these writes have touched my spirit in such a way that it’ll take me a while to articulate it properly. In many ways, I am comforted by this book: the voices of poets and writers who carry the wild in their souls (as we all do, but not all of us recognize it) have been singing for nature for a long time. Would the masses flee to Yosemite if it hadn’t been for Muir’s mesmerizing and hypnotic words, articulating what we all feel tugging in our guts when we gaze at the El Capitan? It is precisely these voices that we can thank for having wild lands in the world.
The sad part about books like these is the fact that there need to be books like these.
A must read. For everyone, especially (and, in my perfect world-mandatorily) for elected officials.

[Nanette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this little chapbook treasure. I only wish I knew more of the history in its aftermath. My favorite argument was written by pioneer nature writer Thomas J. Lyon as he likens the full protection of the 5.7 million acres in Utah to a 10% tithe, writing, “I willingly forgo that 10 percent, true recognition of my fortune, and true gratitude to the world. I trust” (78).

[Diane Moser · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the book referenced in Terry Tempest Williams book "When Women Were Birds". She had been on the Wilderness Society Governing Council, and they were fighting against the Hansen-Hatch Utah Public Lands Management Act of 1995, which proposed to only protect 1.8 million acres out of the 22 million acres administered through the Bureau of Land Management. They were getting no where with Congress, and came home feeling defeated. She and fellow writer, Steve Trimble, decided to ask other fellow writers to write about the Utah Wilderness. They were able to get a little grant money for the printing and had great success with submissions from their fellow writers. The Southern Utah Wilderness alliance placed a copy of "Testimony" into the hands of every member of Congress. Williams and others helda press conference in September in 1995, they later gave copies to the Clinton Administration and specifically handed one to Al Gore. By March 1996, the 1995 Hansen-Hatch Utah Public Lands Management Act came to the Senate floor and did not pass. Later that year, on September 18 1996, President Clinton designated the new Grand Staircase-Escalante National Momument protecting 2 million acres in Utah. He held up a copy of "Testimony" and said, "this little book made a difference". I have read somewhere else, that "Testimony" was the book that started Al Gore on his journey of becoming an environmentalist. This book is short, with essays and poems that are very moving. Never underestimate the power of a book (Silent Spring is a good example), and artists who come together to communicate to the world about the environment through their art.

[Robert OKeefe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This thin volume excels as an example of how art can be used to to persuade and perhaps achieve political action. These nearly two dozen brief pieces--essays, declarations, personal stories and poems--extol the virtues of wilderness in general and Southern Utah wilderness specifically were published as a limited edition chapbook and delivered to the desks of members of Congress. At the time, Congress was debating two bills that would have opened 92% of Utah's federally held lands to development. Although the bills were defeated for procedural reasons, the book has been cited as a significant reason for the creation of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in 1996. Remarkably, preservation of these lands are still are still in question today as they continue to be enlarged and reduced depending on the administration in the Whitehouse.
That aside, this is a terrific sampling from some of America's best nature writers. Although the subject matter becomes a bit repetitive, it's great to see how various writers approach convincing politicians that undeveloped land is worth more to America and the American character than the limited value of the resources it might contain. Once a wild place is gone, it can never be recreated in the same way.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think a lot of our solitary and unexpressed hopes and prayers right now get expressed in this book and it helps to read it. It's so dignified and uplifting and so steadfastly true and respectable and ethical in the face of a society that made up a term like 'tree hugger' to mock folks who care and understand our essential connection to our home. The sense of companionship and joint concern I got from it was comforting and inspiring.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

loved (5) | liked (4) | undecided (3) | disliked (2) | hated (1)

A soulful plea from residents and writers of the West to preserve the wilderness of Utah from the short-sighted economic benefit of a few as a vital part of American identity. Although written in the mid-90s, the love of nature expressed in Testimony and the fear of its eternal loss just as relevant now.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

A chapbook, a collection of short pieces by authors, this publication came about as a way to lobby US senators and congressional representatives to support the designation of Red Rock Wilderness. A wonderful read.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A calling for saving one of the most special places in the world and also leading to the designation of my favorite place: The Grand Staircase Escalante. We owe these authors a great deal.

[Claudia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I heard about this book when I read Williams' WHEN WOMEN COULD FLY. She told the story of how she and other authors wrote, and compiled, and shared this book of essays with both houses of the US Congress, in an effort to overcome their own Utah politicians' efforts to decimate the wilderness lands in the state. This collection has essays, memoirs, poems. Stories of why wilderness matters. And why the Congress should care.

It was a desperate project, and it worked. This book is entered into the Congressional Record. It changed history. It saved the wilderness.

"To bear testimony is to bear witness; we speak from the truth of our lives. How do we put our love for the land into action? This book is one model, an act of faith by writers who believe in the power of story, a bedrock remonder of how wild nature continues to inform, inspire, and sustain us." Williams

"What is it that awakens in my soul when I walk in the desert, when I catch the scento of rain, when I see the sun and moon rise and set on all the colors of the earth, when I approach the heart of wilderness?" N. Scott Momaday

And the last words in the book, by Margaret E Murie, born in 1902: "Species other than man have rights too. Do we have enough reverence for life to concede to wilderness that right?"

The writing is strong and reverant. The purpose is ambitious. The stories and voices show us we DO have power.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

It amazes me what a hole in a rock does to a person. One may take a picture of it. Another may stare at it and stir up some thought. In contrast, that hole is often times ignored or dismissed as an insignificant thing. This may sound silly but it is just an example of what the simplicity of nature does to people. From a pebble in the sand to a hole 277 miles long, the Grand Canyon, something is there for everyone's interpretation.

Stephen Trimble and Terry Tempest Williams compile snippets of dialogue about Utah's Wilderness from various writers. Terry's excerpt truly stuck to my skin more than any other in this quick read. For this alone, I would recommend this book to almost anyone. As for the rest of the content, non-nature enthusiasts might not enjoy this kind of read. It definitely reminds me of the way Edward Abbey reflects on nature in his writing, especially Desert Solitaire. This would be a good book for Utah visitors and explorers who breathe for nature's bliss.

[Rae · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little collection of essays, stories and prose put together by authors and activists, including TTW, and presented to all the members of Congress during the days when they were deciding the fate of Utah's southern wilderness areas. I don't doubt that it had a positive effect on President Clinton's decision to add more land in southeast Utah to the list of protected wilderness. I gave it five stars more for its impact than its content.

[Austin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Testimony is a collection of short essays written by some of America's best writers, which was given to members of congress in 1996 to influence a vote to preserve Utah Wilderness. With the purposed Bears Ears reaching a boiling point, this timely read nearly mirrors the present mindset of conservationists and Utah politicians.

Side note, I think it would be hard to argue against saying TTW is my favorite author.