Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
September 2, 2026

Contacts:
Grant Stevens, Communications Director, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA); (319) 427-0260; grant@suwa.org

Washington, DC – Conservation groups today challenged President Trump’s July 2026 unlawful decimation of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments. The groups filed suit in U.S. District Court seeking to reactivate litigation against Trump’s 2017 monument rollbacks and challenge both sets of illegal proclamations together.
 
Conservation groups were joined by two additional coalitions of monument supporters, who also filed to renew their litigation on Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante today. 

“President Trump’s unlawful attack dismantling Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears National Monuments was a dark day for America and our nation’s long tradition of protecting parks, monuments and wild places for current and future generations,” said Steve Bloch, legal director at the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA). “With the filing of these lawsuits, we intend to make sure Trump doesn’t have the final word over the fate of these treasured landscapes. We’ll be watching closely for on-the-ground mischief like new mining claims and illegal vehicle use and are ready to swing into action to protect the monuments from any activities that can leave lasting damage.”

“Not only is the attempt to slash Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments illegal, it’s also deeply unpopular,” said Michael Toll, staff attorney for the Grand Canyon Trust. “A 2024 poll found that more than 70% of Utah voters supported keeping Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante protected as national monuments; these illegal cuts are wildly out of touch with what the majority of Utahns want.”
 
In July, President Trump illegally redrew the boundaries of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante, reducing both monuments by more than 90%. The attack was one of the largest rollbacks of public lands protections in U.S. history, cutting a million acres more than the 2017 reductions. Multiple mining claims were filed in both Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante immediately after Trump decimated the monuments. Conservation groups have urged the Bureau of Land Management to reject the premature and unlawful claims.  

“Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante should have never been put in jeopardy to begin with as no president has the authority to erase or shrink national monuments,” said Erika Pollard, Southwest campaign director with the National Parks Conservation Association. “These monuments are among the most beloved public lands in Utah, visited by millions who also travel to neighboring national park sites – Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Canyonlands, Glen Canyon and Natural Bridges. Attempting to dismantle the groundbreaking Bears Ears Commission and co-stewardship structures is an insult to the Tribal Nations that deserve a leading role in managing their ancestral lands. Support for these monuments has never wavered and neither will our fight to protect them.”

“The gutting of these two monuments is yet another example of this administration rewarding industry with special access to the public’s land and resources,” said Chris Krupp, public lands attorney for WildEarth Guardians. “Trump didn’t unlock the monument for recreation, as he dishonestly claimed, but he did open up a cherished landscape to mining. It’s no surprise mining companies are already taking advantage of that.”
 
The Antiquities Act of 1906 authorizes presidents to designate national monuments, but it does not give them the power to shrink the monuments created by their predecessors or to undercut their protections. Congress’s intent was clear: the Antiquities Act must be used to protect the nation’s archaeological, cultural, and scientific wonders. 

“President Trump cannot erase America’s national monuments with the stroke of a pen. The Antiquities Act gives presidents the authority to protect places like Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears, not dismantle them for mining and other industrial interests,” said Athan Manuel, director of the Sierra Club’s Lands Protection Program. “The monuments preserve an irreplaceable cultural landscape, world-renowned fossil resources, and extraordinary wildlands that are shared by all of us. We’re going to court because the law is clear, and future generations deserve to inherit these remarkable places with the protections they were promised.”

“Slashing protections for Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments is unlawful and disregards the Tribes who have stewarded these lands since time immemorial,” said Charlie Luke, The Wilderness Society Utah state director. “These protections were put in place for a reason: to safeguard cultural resources, wildlife habitat, clean air and water, and the freedom of future generations to experience these lands. The Wilderness Society will continue this fight in court to ensure our treasured Utah national monuments remain protected.” 
  
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument — home to dinosaur fossils not found anywhere else in the world — is often described as a “dinosaur Shangri-la.” It was established as a national monument in 1996, and in the two decades since it was protected, paleontologists have unearthed fossils from 21 previously undiscovered dinosaur species. 

The region also holds great cultural significance to numerous Tribes. It is renowned for the remarkable geologic features for which it is named — a series of massive, stepped cliff formations that form, literally, a grand staircase. It is home to serpentine canyons that provide endless hiking adventures and streams that support diverse populations of native plant and animal life.   

“The big lies behind these illegal rollbacks aren’t fooling anyone. The truth is the Trump administration is trying to sell out two of America’s most iconic national monuments to benefit oil and mining corporations,” said Taylor McKinnon, Southwest director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “Grand Staircase and Bears Ears belong to the American people, not corporate polluters. We’ll fight like hell to ensure their remarkable biodiversity and rich cultural landscapes are protected for future generations.”
 
Bears Ears National Monument is home to cliff dwellings and other structures built by the Ancestral Puebloan people, more than 100,000 Native American cultural sites, innumerable historic landmarks, and iconic wildlife such as bears, bighorn sheep, and mountain lions. Tribes continue to visit the lands to hold ceremonies and connect with their ancestors. The 2016 monument designation included a historic plan for co-management of this unique landscape by federal agencies and five Tribes (the Bears Ears Commission) with sacred cultural interests in the lands. 

“These monuments protect places that took millions of years to form. President Trump is trying to destroy them with a stroke of a pen. That cannot stand,” said Christy Goldfuss, executive director at NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council). “The administration is trying to force this through by executive fiat. The Antiquities Act does not work that way. Presidents have the power to create national monuments to protect what belongs to all of us, but Congress never gave them the power to tear those monuments down. Once you open these lands to mining and drilling, what gets lost is not coming back—ancient cliff dwellings, dinosaur fossils found nowhere else on Earth, sacred sites tied to the Tribal Nations. Tribes led the fight for Bears Ears. Local communities, ranchers, scientists, and outfitters built the record behind Grand Staircase-Escalante. Three in four Utahns want these monuments kept whole. This lawsuit is about honoring the people who built these places and the law that made them possible. We are prepared to stay in this fight as long as it takes.
 
“President Trump’s proclamations, which removed protections from countless objects of scientific and historic importance, are plainly illegal, just as they were in 2017 when he first attacked these treasured monuments,” said Heidi McIntosh, managing attorney for Earthjustice’s Rocky Mountain Office. “The law has not changed. The Antiquities Act authorizes a president to do just one thing: to designate a national monument, not to dismantle it. Trump’s actions are an attack not just on the Antiquities Act, but on the nation’s rich cultural and natural heritage.” 

“The Trump and Cox administrations are cynically undermining the Antiquities Act to support their extreme anti-conservation ideology,” said Laura Welp, Southern Utah director with Western Watersheds Project. “Destroying these national monuments serves only their political and business allies, not the public. This partisan attack on some of the nation’s last best places is bad for wildlife, bad for native ecosystems, and bad for the country.”

“Let’s call it what it is: a boon to big business,” said Reba Elliott, executive director of Great Old Broads for Wilderness. “Everyone who’s visited this beautiful place loves it. It’s a place that grandmas and grandpas want to keep for their grandkids forever. Having it turned over to big business is the last thing the land needs–and the last thing the people want.” 

National monuments provide economic benefits to local economies, creating jobs, enhancing communities and boosting local outdoor recreation economies across the country. Monuments are also incredibly popular. A 2026 State of the Rockies poll found that 91% of Western voters say existing national monument designations should be kept in place. Contrary to Trump’s statements, the monuments offer numerous opportunities for hunting, fishing, hiking, camping, and education and see over a million visitors combined annually. These activities and visitors are vital economic drivers for the rural communities that serve as gateways to the monuments. 
 
Earthjustice represents The Wilderness Society, National Parks Conservation Association, the Sierra Club, Grand Canyon Trust, Great Old Broads for Wilderness, Western Watersheds Project, WildEarth Guardians, and the Center for Biological Diversity in the litigation. The Natural Resources Defense Council and Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA) are co-plaintiffs, represented by their own counsel. 

Because the existing cases are currently stayed, the plaintiffs also asked the court to reopen the cases and formally requested permission to file the updated complaints. 
 
Photos of both national monuments are available here: https://medialibrary.earthjustice.org/share/083E8A8D-5C8A-474D-9783139D836B7ACE/ 
 
###   

The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA) is a nonprofit organization with members and supporters from around the country dedicated to protecting America’s redrock wilderness. From offices in Moab, Salt Lake City, and Washington, DC, our team of professionals defends the redrock, organizes support for America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act, and stewards a world-renowned landscape. Learn more at www.suwa.org.

The post Conservation Groups Challenge Trump’s Decimation of Two National Monuments in Utah – 9.2.26 appeared first on Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance.

Earlier this summer we asked you to take action to protect some of southeast Utah’s most remote and ecologically sensitive landscapes from a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) proposal to authorize ten backcountry airstrips in the Moab and Monticello areas. Despite thousands of comments critiquing the proposal, the BLM approved all ten airstrips. SUWA appealed that decision, and on August 6, the agency withdrew its proposal in response to the appeal. Bafflingly, less than two weeks later, it reissued a nearly identical one.

The BLM is accepting public comments through this Thursday, September 3. Please tell the agency to follow the law, heed public input, and protect sensitive wild landscapes.

Several of the proposed airstrips sit within BLM-identified wilderness-quality lands or directly adjacent to Bears Ears National Monument and Canyonlands National Park. Others are within breeding and nesting habitat for bighorn, pronghorn, burrowing owls, and other raptors. The BLM acknowledges that aircraft noise and visual intrusions would degrade solitude and natural soundscapes in these areas. Research also shows that noise and increased traffic from motorized recreation, including aircraft, can displace wildlife and reduce reproduction and survival.

SUWA—and commenters like you—proposed a more balanced alternative: authorize four of the airstrips while rejecting six in the most environmentally sensitive locations: Spring Canyon, Big Flat, Castle Creek, Nokai Dome, Piute, and Red Canyon. But in its new environmental assessment, the agency discards this reasonable alternative.

The BLM never officially designated use of these airstrips, so any recent or current use is unauthorized. Most of the more remote airstrips show no signs of recent use and are covered by native vegetation, making them difficult or impossible to identify on the ground. Formally opening them for aircraft use—and maintaining them over time—would require heavy equipment to remove established sagebrush, rabbitbrush, juniper, and other native vegetation.

Rather than adequately addressing the public’s concerns, the agency has again advanced an ill-conceived proposal that will serve a few private planes at the expense of wildlife, cultural landscapes, and overall visitor experience.

Remember, comments are due by September 3. Please take advantage of this short comment window and tell the BLM that southern Utah’s remote canyon country, wildlife, and cultural landscapes deserve better.

The post Tell BLM to Keep Private Aircraft Out of Southern Utah’s Wild, Quiet Places appeared first on Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

August 25, 2026

Contacts:
Grant Stevens, Communications Director, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA); (319) 427-0260; grant@suwa.org

Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) launched a process to significantly revise its Travel Management Rule, which guides where motorized vehicles are and are not allowed on almost 200 million acres of national forests and grasslands. 

The USDA is proposing to flip the U.S. Forest Service’s longstanding approach to travel management on its head, forcing local forests to allow motorized vehicles everywhere except for places that are specifically closed. The current rule requires motorized vehicles to stay on a designated system of roads, trails and areas in national forests and grasslands and is an essential policy for wildlife conservation, balanced recreation and public safety. 

This comes directly on the heels of the USDA’s proposed repeal of the Roadless Area Conservation Rule, which would make 45 million acres of remote backcountry forests available for clearcut logging, road-building and other development, unleashing back-to-back blows to our national forests. Combined, these actions are part of the administration’s systematic dismantling of the rules and safeguards that keep national forests safe, accessible, and managed for everyone. 

Below are quotes from recreation and conservation organizations and additional information on the rule. 

“The Trump Administration’s proposal to fundamentally alter the Travel Management Rule will change for the worse how Utahns experience national forests throughout the state, from the Wasatch Front to redrock country outside Escalante and Moab,” said Laura Peterson, senior attorney at Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA). “The proposal will place a heavy thumb on the scale to prioritize off-road vehicle use at the expense of all other uses of the national forests, including the protection of wildlife, cultural sites, streams and wild places. This move will not improve access to public lands, but it will make the experience of recreating on public lands worse for all users, including hikers, bikers, hunters, anglers and riders.”  

“This is yet another egregious attack in the systematic dismantling of public lands management of our national forests,”  said Dan Hartinger, senior director for agency policy at The Wilderness Society. “Travel management provides the basic guardrails that let hikers, hunters, anglers, and riders share the same forest without chaos; removing those guardrails threatens the freedom of all public lands users to safely enjoy our national forests the way they choose. Paired with the proposed repeal of the Roadless Rule, this destructive agenda sells out future generations’ enjoyment of our forests in order to hand them over for corporate profits.”

“The Travel Management Rule creates a framework that balances uses on national forest lands. It draws on local decision-making processes to support all user groups in enjoying public lands while also protecting these places for future generations,” said Anneka Williams, Policy Director at Winter Wildlands Alliance. “Removing this framework for shared use threatens diverse user experiences on public lands. Coming on the heels of the proposed repeal of the Roadless Rule, it is clear that this announcement is part of the administration’s broader agenda to dismantle our public lands as we know and love them.”

“The Travel Management Rule is why dirtbikers and snowmobilers can share national forests with hikers and backcountry skiers without conflict. It’s built on local decision-making that ensures no user group gets steamrolled and all our national forest values are protected,” said Hilary Eisen, federal policy director at Wild Montana. “Just days after doubling down on repealing the Roadless Rule, this announcement makes the administration’s plan obvious: gut the rules requiring the Forest Service to manage our natural resources carefully and listen to the public, then open the gates to industry and extraction. The Roadless rescission already showed that Forest Service leadership doesn’t value public input, science, or expert management. They’ve lost the public’s trust, and should expect the public to hold them accountable.”

“The USDA’s announcement to gut the Travel Management Rule and the Roadless Rule in the same week is a one-two punch that together deals a tremendous blow to wildlife,” said Vera Smith, director of national forests and public lands at Defenders of Wildlife. “The Travel Management Rule states simply that motorized vehicles must stay on routes and areas designated locally for that use. The Forest Service issued the rule over 20 years ago to curb damage from unmanaged recreation, reduce user conflict and protect public safety. Rescinding it now is irresponsible and reckless.” 

“Just after this administration moved to eliminate protections for Roadless Areas, it is now  proposing to gut the Travel Management Rule that for 20 years has ensured the Forest Service manages motorized recreation in a manner that minimizes damage, protects other visitors, and responds when vehicle use is harming public land resources,” said Adam Rissien rewilding manager at WildEarth Guardians. “Eliminating those protections will not improve access. It would replace locally developed plans with uncertainty, conflict, and unmanaged use.”

“Just days after its proposed rescission of the Roadless Rule, the administration is now attempting to open up our national forests to more off-road vehicle use that will degrade the landscape and disturb wildlife and other land users,” said Thomas Delehanty, senior attorney with Earthjustice’s Rocky Mountain Office. “Some places in our national forests are meant for quiet, undisturbed recreation and protecting sensitive wildlife, including endangered species. This rule would open all roads and trails to ORVs by default, meaning areas set aside for hiking, hunting, or horseback riding could soon be fair game to four-wheelers and dirt bikes.”

“For over two decades the Travel Management Rule has ensured our National Forests are managed to host an array of user groups, while safeguarding the health and future of our public lands,” shared Peggie dePasquale, National Forest Wildlands Director at the Wyoming Wilderness Association (WWA). “We are now witnessing a troublesome undoing of this effective management tool that the American people, especially here in Wyoming, have come to rely on for sustainable and relied upon access. It is critical that we raise our voices to send a clear message that the proposed revision goes against public interest and is bad news for the future of our natural world.”

“The existing travel management planning process allows the public to meaningfully weigh in on where vehicles do and don’t belong in our national forests. Repealing this rule hands that decision to political appointees in Washington, who have decided that every road, trail, and meadow should be open to motorized use, no matter the conflicts with other users or wildlife,” said Center for Western Priorities (CWP) Communications Director Kate Groetzinger. “Repealing this rule is also a recipe for more wildfire in a region that cannot afford it. Putting hot engines deeper into dry forests during longer and hotter fire seasons will increase wildfire risk, and Western communities will pay for it.”

***

Travel management is supported by a diverse group of public lands users
This proposal to revise the Travel Management Rule is out of touch with everyday Americans who use our forested public lands. Motorized groups, recreationalists, sportsmen, conservation organizations, local communities and other public land users nationwide have spoken out in opposition:

• American Hiking Society, Back Country Horsemen of American, American Trails, Letter Opposing Travel Management Repeal, Bureau of Land Management, (7/21/2026).
• Motorcycle Industry Council, Specialty Vehicle Institute of America and Recreational Off-Highway Vehicle Association, Letter Opposing Travel Management Repeal, (10/27/2025)
• American Endurance Ride Conference, American Hiking Society, American Horse Council, American Trails, Appalachian Mountain Club, Back Country Horsemen of America, Equine Land Conservation Resource, Move United, North Carolina Horse Council, Pacific Crest Trail Association, Partnership for the National Trails System, Rails to Trails Conservancy, Washington Trials Association, Letter Opposing Travel Management Repeal, Forest Service (6/5/2026).
• American Motorcyclist Association, Letter Opposing Travel Management Repeal, (12/15/2025).
• Rural & Agriculture Council of America & United States Cattlemen’s Association, Letter Opposing full repeal of Travel Management Rule & Requesting a robust public process, (6/24/26).
• Outdoor Alliance & members Access Fund American Canoe Association, American Whitewater, International Mountain Bicycling Association, Winter Wildlands Alliance, The Mountaineers, American Alpine Club, Colorado Mountain Club, Surfrider Foundation, Runners for Public Lands, Letter Opposing Travel Management Repeal, (6/12/26).
• Off Road Business Association, Inc, United Four Wheel Drive Association, One Voice & United Snowmobile Alliance, Letter Opposing “outright repeal” of Travel Management Rule, (1/26/26). 
• Public Lands Foundation, Position Statement supporting current Travel Management Policy, (4/25).

About the Forest Service Travel Management Rule 

First established in 2005, the Travel Management Rule is a tool that aims to balance use on national forest lands and across different user groups and, when effectively implemented, creates high-quality recreation experiences for all groups while also conserving resources. It provides a consistent framework for forests to follow when writing travel management plans for wheeled or over-snow vehicles. 

During forest-specific travel management planning, local forest officials designate specific trails and areas for motorized use. This is essentially a zoning process where some areas are designated for motorized use, and other trails and areas are set aside for human-powered recreation, or to protect wildlife and other resources. Public participation is an important part of travel planning, and local voices, knowledge, and expertise are considered as part of the travel planning process.

Repealed executive orders helped protect wildlife, waters

On June 2, 2026, President Trump repealed two executive orders (11644 and 11989) that governed off-road vehicle use on public lands. For 54 years, these orders helped protect streams, wildlife and their habitats, and opportunities for safe recreation on Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, and National Park Service lands. 

###

The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA) is a nonprofit organization with members and supporters from around the country dedicated to protecting America’s redrock wilderness. From offices in Moab, Salt Lake City, and Washington, DC, our team of professionals defends the redrock, organizes support for America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act, and stewards a world-renowned landscape. Learn more at www.suwa.org.

The post Recreation, Conservation Groups Unite Against Forest Service Travel Rule Rollback – 8.25.26  appeared first on Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance.

Utah Senator Mike Lee is at it again. Earlier this year, he led a failed legislative attempt to undo the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Management Plan. In July, he couldn’t contain his joy when President Trump illegally decimated both Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments. And now he’s set the wheel in motion to use the same legislative tool – a fast-tracked resolution via the Congressional Review Act – to attack the Bears Ears Monument Management Plan.

You might be wondering: does a monument management plan still matter after Trump’s illegal reductions? The answer is a resounding yes! Until a new management plan is finalized for Bears Ears, the existing plan remains in place. The current plan—finalized in early 2025 in consultation with the Bears Ears Commission—will continue to govern day-to-day activities in the monument. There is one major exception: mining. Trump’s proclamations directed that on September 11, 2026, the lands cut out of both Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante will be opened to new mining claims and potential oil and gas leasing.

The Bears Ears Management plan was the first of its kind, incorporating significant and meaningful input from Tribal Nations through the Bears Ears Commission. It took important steps towards protecting unique natural and cultural landscapes, while at the same time providing opportunities for respectful appreciation and enjoyment of this remarkable place. All of that is at risk.

Members of Congress have been speaking out in opposition to Trump’s illegal reductions of the national monuments. This is their chance to back up words with action—ensuring that Senator Lee’s effort to fast-track the undoing of the Bears Ears Monument Management Plan goes nowhere.

Earlier this year, the Protect Wild Utah movement ensured that Grand Staircase-Escalante Management Plan remained in place—it was an extraordinary effort, against the odds, that involved a whole-of-organization effort for SUWA and our supporters. We’ll be mounting a similar campaign for Bears Ears and will need your help again. Thank you—we know you’ll help us rise to the occasion. We’ll be in touch as we have more updates.

>> Want to do more to defend Bears Ears? Click here to get in contact with a Regional Organizer.

The post Take Action to Defend Bears Ears National Monument appeared first on Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

August 20, 2026

Contacts:
Grant Stevens, Communications Director, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA); (319) 427-0260; grant@suwa.org
Keri Gilliland, Senior Communications Manager, The Wilderness Society; (303) 386-2243; kgilliland@tws.org
Perry Wheeler, Earthjustice, pwheeler@earthjustice.org, (202) 792-6211
Chaitna Sinha, Conservation Codirector and Staff Attorney, Grand Canyon Trust; (970) 399-9565 (csinha@grandcanyontrust.org)
Andrew Scibetta, NRDC, (202) 289-2421, ascibetta@nrdc.org
Kris Deutschman, Conservation Lands Foundation, kris@conservationlands.org, (505) 498-0212
Brian Willis, Sierra Club, Brian.Willis@Sierraclub.org 

Washington, DC – This week, at the behest of Senator Mike Lee (R-UT), the Government Accountability Office released an opinion that the Bears Ears National Monument land-use plan (finalized in 2025) is subject to the Congressional Review Act. The plan was developed through a collaborative process involving the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service, and the Bears Ears Commission. This paves the way for Lee and the rest of the Utah delegation to introduce fast-track legislation that could topple Tribal collaborative management and speed up the destruction of the landscape, while also blocking a substantially the same plan from being enacted in the future.

Earlier this year, using the same mechanism, Utah’s federal delegation, led by Senator Lee and Representative Celeste Maloy (R-UT-02), attempted to undo the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Management Plan. Tribal Nations, hunters and anglers, recreationists, local businesses, scientists, faith leaders, and members of the public from across Utah and the country spoke out loudly against this unfounded attack on one of the nation’s public lands gems. Lee and Maloy’s fast-track attack failed on June 12, 2026.

Just a month later, on July 13, 2026, President Trump illegally decimated both Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments by reducing each of them by over 90%. Significantly, until new management plans are finalized, the existing plans for each National Monument remain in place. That means the current plans will still manage activities in the monuments, with at least one major exception: mining. Trump’s proclamations directed that on September 11, 2026, the lands he cut out of both monuments will be opened to new mining claims and potential oil and gas leasing.

With the GAO opinion in hand, Sen. Lee or other members of the Utah federal delegation can now introduce a bill under the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to undo the Monument Management Plan. If Congress passes the bill, called a “resolution of disapproval,” by simple majority votes, the plan will be eliminated and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the US Forest Service (USFS) will be barred from issuing another plan that is “substantially the same” in the future. 

Beloved by Utahns and Americans, Bears Ears National Monument is a region of extraordinary cultural significance and natural diversity. On December 28, 2016, President Obama used his authority under the Antiquities Act to establish Bears Ears National Monument, protecting both a cultural landscape that has been home to Tribal Nations from time immemorial and some of the wildest redrock country in the nation. Equally important, the proclamation elevated the voices of Tribal Nations that have ancestral ties to the region. Nearly 100,000 archaeological and cultural sites were protected by the proclamation, including House on Fire and Moon House.

In 2023, BLM began the process of developing a management plan to govern the Bears Ears National Monument. This was a crucial opportunity to ensure that the monument is managed for its unique and extraordinary values. As part of the collaborative planning process, the Bears Ears Commission played a central role in developing the 2025 Bears Ears Resource Management Plan, an unprecedented collaborative framework that brings Traditional Indigenous Knowledge and western science together to guide stewardship of Bears Ears National Monument. Below are quotes and additional information.

“Bears Ears National Monument is the quintessential southern Utah redrock landscape with towering spires and mesas, deep canyons, and desert streams; it’s a cultural landscape where Tribal Nations have lived from time immemorial. Quite simply, it’s a place like no other,” said Steve Bloch, Legal Director at the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance. “And yet Senator Mike Lee – the purveyor of an endless stream of deeply unpopular ideas for public lands – wants to expedite President Trump’s attack on Bears Ears with the undoing of the monument’s management plan, the blueprint that ensures it is protected for current and future generations. We know Americans will stand up and make their voices heard in opposition to Senator Lee’s latest terrible idea.”

“The administration has already stripped protections from 90% of Bears Ears. Now the monument’s land use plan is in the crosshairs,” said Charlie Luke, The Wilderness Society Utah state director. “A new GAO opinion paves the way for Sen. Lee and his allies to tear up the land use plan and accelerate destruction. We stand with the five Tribes of the Bears Ears Commission and the local communities who shaped this land use plan. Without it, we risk losing irreplaceable cultural resources and future generations’ freedom to explore and experience these lands.”  

“It’s no surprise that Senator Lee is yet again trying to strip protections from our public lands,” said Thomas Delehanty, senior attorney with Earthjustice’s Rocky Mountain Office. “As if President Trump’s illegal decimation of Bears Ears weren’t enough, Senator Lee’s CRA project risks throwing management of the monument into further chaos, benefitting no one. Just as Tribes, hunters and anglers, recreationists, and members of the public united to defend Grand Staircase-Escalante against the Utah delegation’s prior CRA attack, we will vigorously defend Bears Ears against this threat.”

“President Trump has already illegally stripped protections from more than 90 percent of Bears Ears National Monument. Now Senator Mike Lee is trying to pile on by using the Congressional Review Act to erase the collaborative management plan that ensures this extraordinary landscape is stewarded with Tribal leadership and public input,” said Jackie Feinberg, Lands Conservation Campaign Manager at Sierra Club. “Utahns and people across the country already made it clear they reject this cynical playbook when Congress failed to fast-track his push to overturn the Grand Staircase-Escalante management plan. Congress should once again reject this attempt to sidestep the public and Tribal Nations and instead stand behind the collaborative process that produced the Bears Ears management plan.”

“The GAO report paves the way for lawmakers to further gut protections for Bears Ears and erase years of taxpayer-funded work undertaken by federal agencies to develop a land-management plan in collaboration with tribes, local communities, and the public,” said Chaitna Sinha, Conservation Codirector and Staff Attorney for the Grand Canyon Trust. “The tribes were central to the development of the management plan and the establishment of Bears Ears as a national monument, but lawmakers have yet to consult with them about stripping away protections for these lands.”

“The Congressional Review Act is being weaponized against our public lands, and Utah’s congressional delegation is leading the way,” said Bobby McEnaney, Director, Land Conservation, NRDC. “If they succeed, the Bears Ears management plan will be struck down with no ready replacement—just a cloud of uncertainty over what the Bureau of Land Management can do when it comes to protecting this national treasure going forward. That would be a punishment aimed squarely at the five Tribes and communities who spent years building the plan together. Every member of Congress should ask whether that’s a legacy they want to own.”

“Once again Utah politicians are trying to use the Congressional Review Act to block responsible, collaborative land management. The monument management plan in place right now represents a historic, collaborative process between the Tribes in the Bears Ears Commission and other groups that use the lands in the monument, from recreationists to ranchers,” said Kate Groetzinger, Communications Director for the Center for Western Priorities.  “Attempting to repeal this plan with the CRA is a dirty trick, which would prohibit the Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service from ever issuing a similar plan for this landscape in the future. If Mike Lee moves forward with this attack, it could have implications far beyond Trump’s recent size reduction.” 

“The overwhelming majority of voters in Utah and across western states want Congress to protect the country’s irreplaceable and beloved national monuments,” said David Feinman, Vice President of Government Affairs at the Conservation Lands Foundation. “We urge everyone who values Bears Ears National Monument, and all public lands, to hold their members of Congress accountable to the public’s will and to the Tribal agreements directing the best management of these landscapes.”

Additional information about Bears Ears National Monument 

The Bears Ears proposal was led by the five Tribal Nations that would later comprise the “Bears Ears Commission:” the Navajo Nation, the Hopi Tribe, the Pueblo of Zuni, the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, and Ute Indian Tribe. On December 4, 2017, President Trump ignored millions of public comments and in a brazenly illegal act repealed Bears Ears National Monument, replacing it with two much smaller, non-contiguous units totaling less than 230,000 acres (an 83% reduction). His unprecedented action left rare archaeological sites, unique flora and fauna, and stunning wildlands without protection from looting, uranium mining, oil and gas drilling, and off-road vehicle damage. 

Thankfully, on October 8, 2021, President Biden signed a proclamation restoring Bears Ears National Monument to its full, original boundaries—plus an additional 12,000 acres added to the Trump-era Indian Creek unit. National monuments are overwhelmingly popular. Seventy-five percent of Utah voters support the President’s ability to protect public lands as national monuments. 71% Utah voters, including a majority of Republicans, want to keep Grand Staircase-Escalante as a national monument.

Elected representatives of five Native American Tribes – Hopi Tribe, Navajo Nation, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, Zuni Tribe, and Ute Indian Tribe – collaboratively manage Bears Ears National Monument through the Bears Ears Commission. The five Tribal Nations played a central role in developing the Bears Ears management plan through the Bears Ears COmmission and the collaborative management process. Their ancestral and ongoing relationships with Bears Ears, and their responsibilities to care for the landscape, are fundamental to its management. Any changes to the plan should include meaningful government-to-government engagement with the Tribes. 

About the Congressional Review Act (CRA)

The CRA is a federal statute enacted in March 1996 that requires federal agencies to submit “rules” to Congress for a mandatory review period “before they may take effect.” If Congress votes to overturn, or “disapprove,” the rule, it “may not be reissued in substantially the same form. . . .” The BLM has long maintained that its land management plans are not “rules” subject to the CRA. Other federal land management agencies, including the USFS,  and National Park Service, have similarly not submitted their land management plans to Congress under the CRA.

However, emboldened by a series of non-binding Government Accountability Office (GAO) opinions, Republican members of Congress have embraced the novel theory that federal land management plans are in fact “rules” subject to the CRA. The 119th Congress has passed seven CRA resolutions overturning previously finalized land management plans or other types of public lands management decisions. The GAO issued a decision regarding the Bears Ears Monument Management Plan on August 17, 2026.

###

The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA) is a nonprofit organization with members and supporters from around the country dedicated to protecting America’s redrock wilderness. From offices in Moab, Salt Lake City, and Washington, DC, our team of professionals defends the redrock, organizes support for America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act, and stewards this world-renowned landscape. Learn more at www.suwa.org.

The Wilderness Society is a national conservation organization dedicated to protecting America’s wild places since 1935. Through science, advocacy and partnerships with communities and policymakers, we champion the protection of wilderness, national parks, forests, and other public lands that provide clean air and water, wildlife habitat and the freedom to connect with nature. For more information, visit www.wilderness.org. 

Earthjustice is the premier nonprofit environmental law organization. We wield the power of law and the strength of partnership to protect people’s health, to preserve magnificent places and wildlife, to advance clean energy, and to combat climate change. We are here because the earth needs a good lawyer.

The Grand Canyon Trust is a nonprofit conservation organization dedicated to safeguarding the wonders of the Grand Canyon and the Colorado Plateau, while supporting the rights of its Native peoples. Learn more at grandcanyontrust.org  

NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 3 million members and online activists. Established in 1970, NRDC uses science, policy, law and people power to confront the climate crisis, protect public health and safeguard nature. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Beijing and Delhi (an office of NRDC India Pvt. Ltd).

Conservation Lands Foundation represents a national, nonpartisan network of community advocates who are solely focused on the public lands overseen by the Bureau of Land Management including National Conservation Lands.

The post Utah Senator Mike Lee Wants to Speed Up the Destruction of Bears Ears National Monument – 8.20.26 appeared first on Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance.

Latest Updates on Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears

In our last Redrock Report, we shared news of President Trump’s July 13 evisceration of Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears National Monuments. Quite a lot has happened since then.

Mining Companies Chomp at the Bit
The ink was barely dry on the presidential proclamations when Kimmerle Mining filed 7 mining claims (the very next day) in areas cut out of Bears Ears National Monument (see map). Soon after, Craig Rosequist filed two mining claims on lands cut from Grand Staircase-Escalante (see map). The illegality of the monument reductions aside, the new proclamations don’t even allow the staking of mining claims until 60 days after the date of the proclamation, which is Friday, Sept. 11 (Read the New York Times coverage and see our full press release).

Monument Signs Disappear
Meanwhile, the Trump administration wasted no time attempting to erase both monuments from public awareness. First, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) removed signage from Bears Ears National Monument, starting with the Tribal seals representing the five Tribes of the Bears Ears Commission and quickly escalating to the complete removal of the monument signs themselves. By July 28, signs at Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument had also been removed from at least five gateway locations.

The Backlash Builds
People in Utah and across the nation are fighting back. A week after Trump’s attack on the monuments, SUWA and our partners hosted a Statewide Monumental Day of Action in Utah, with over a thousand people turning out in 100-degree heat to attend events in Salt Lake City, Ogden, Provo, Moab, St. George, Bluff, and Boulder. Meanwhile, the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante Inter-Tribal Coalitions have strongly condemned the monument reductions, as have 37 senators who signed a letter to President Trump earlier this month.

SUWA will take Trump to court over these illegal reductions, as we did in 2017 (that case was not resolved by the time President Biden restored the monuments in 2021). We’re also ramping up efforts to promote America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act, which would protect much of the land included in the monuments as wilderness. We’ll share updates as we continue to fight every day, and in every way we can, for the places we all love.

Photo © Ray Bloxham/SUWA

BLM Withdraws 10 New Backcountry Airstrip Designations

Good news! After SUWA filed an appeal, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Canyon Country District withdrew its June 2026 decision approving 10 backcountry airstrips in the heart of Utah’s redrock country (this does not include the Keg Knoll airstrip approved in the Labyrinth Canyon Wilderness).

These airstrips, which were never officially designated by the agency, are scattered across some of the most remote and ecologically sensitive landscapes in southern Utah—including the Gemini Bridges/Labyrinth Canyon area and the remote backcountry immediately adjacent to Bears Ears National Monument. Many are now reclaimed, with no signs of recent use. Though there was no formal public comment process, SUWA members submitted over 2,500 comments opposing the designations.

“This is a case of ‘better late than never.’ We’re glad to see the agency pull back its decision, which would have authorized more motorized use in remote, wilderness-quality landscapes,” said SUWA Wildlands Director Neal Clark. “BLM’s decision would have benefitted a handful of private pilots to the detriment of wildlife, native vegetation, and public lands users seeking quiet, backcountry experiences. We appreciate BLM’s reconsideration and will work to ensure that these airstrips are not authorized for use in the future”

>> Read our full press release

Photo © James Kay

New: Unique, Staff-Designed Sticker Packs Celebrate Utah’s Wild Places

Looking for a new way to show your love for the redrock? Check out our brand-new stickers, designed by SUWA staffer Kelly Burnham. Each one features a different wild landscape: the Bridger Jacks in Bears Ears National Monument, the towering corridors of the Colorado River, toadstool hoodoos and black chinned hummingbirds in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, and a burrowing owl hovering over rabbitbrush in the West Desert. Get a pack of all four for just $10! Find them on our website at suwa.org/shop.

Opportunities to Get Involved (in Salt Lake City) this Fall

It’s shaping up to be a busy fall season for SUWA in Salt Lake City, with many ways for you to get involved! Volunteer with us at the 9th & 9th Street Festival on September 19, where we’ll connect with our neighbors about the fight to protect Utah’s wild places. Then, in celebration of National Public Lands Day, roll up your sleeves for a hands-on way to give back on September 26 at the Stansbury Island Clean Up. Finally, wrap up the season with us at the SLC Book Festival on October 17, where we’ll be spreading the word to fellow readers and community members about how protecting wilderness and public lands is the perfect way to get offline.

In early September (date and time TBD—stay tuned!), we’re also inviting our community to help us give the SUWA Headquarters office a little love. We’re transforming our front lawn into a water-conscious landscape and could use a few more hands digging and planting as we give some waterwise perennials a new home. At a time when so much is asked of us, we’re holding space for a little joy and a chance to slow down, get to know each other, and build something beautiful together.

These events are a great way to meet fellow wilderness advocates, learn more about SUWA’s campaigns, and show up for Utah’s wild places. Ready to sign up? Reach out to our Utah Organizer, Mimi Ortega, to grab a volunteer slot. Spots fill up fast, so don’t wait!

Photo © SUWA

Support SUWA and Live Local Theater at the Same Time!

Come find SUWA tabling at Footpath Theatre Company’s production of Western Minerals & Their Origins, running its final Utah engagement from August 27-29 at Kingsbury Hall in Salt Lake City. 

While clearing out her canyoneer brother’s garage, a young woman is pulled deep into memory and the redrock landscape that shaped her. Rhetorical Review calls it “a love letter to the canyons, to the outdoors, to Utah itself.” We hope to see you there!

>> Click here for tickets and more information

The post August 2026 Redrock Report appeared first on Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

August 14, 2026

Contacts:
Grant Stevens, Communications Director, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA); (319) 427-0260; grant@suwa.org
Autumn Gillard, Coordinator, Grand Staircase-Escalante Inter-Tribal Coalition; (928) 614-2600; autumnavielle@gmail.com
Perry Wheeler, Earthjustice, pwheeler@earthjustice.org, (202) 792-6211
Keri Gilliland, The Wilderness Society, (KGilliland@tws.org)
Chaitna Sinha, Conservation Codirector and Staff Attorney, Grand Canyon Trust; (970) 399-9565 (csinha@grandcanyontrust.org)
Amy Dominguez, Sierra Club, amy.dominguez@sierraclub.org, (385) 355-4631
Kris Deutschman, Conservation Lands Foundation, kris@conservationlands.org, (505) 498-0212
Andrew Scibetta, NRDC, (202) 289-2421, ascibetta@nrdc.org
Daniel Hernandez, National Parks Conservation Association, dhernandez@npca.org, (202) 573-2201

SOUTHERN UTAH – Within one day of President Trump illegally reducing Bears Ears National Monument by over 90%, a company staked multiple mining claims in areas cut out of the monument. On July 14, 2026, Kimmerle Mining filed 7 mining claims (see map) with the San Juan County (Utah) Recorder’s Office. Kimmerle Mining previously filed mining claims after Trump’s 2017 reduction of Bears Ears and excavated a partially reclaimed mine shaft on one of the claims – the so-called Easy Peasy claim (this mine has been re-buried); Kyle Kimmerle (a Managing Member of Kimmerle Mining) was also a plaintiff in one of the cases filed in the District of Utah challenging President Biden’s 2021 restoration of the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments.  

Two mining claims were also recently filed in Grand Staircase-Escalante, less than one month after Trump’s attack. On August 6, 2026, Craig Rosequist filed two mining claims (see map) with the Kane County (Utah) Recorder’s Office in areas cut out of the monument by the Trump proclamations. According to public records, Rosequist previously located several mining claims in neighboring Washington County, Utah.

Under President Trump’s proclamations decimating Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante, mining claims cannot be staked until 60 days after the date of the proclamation, which will be Friday, Sept. 11: “Appropriation of lands under the mining laws before the date and time of restoration is unauthorized.  Any such attempted appropriation, including attempted adverse possession under 30 U.S.C. 38, shall vest no rights against the United States.” In light of this prohibition and the illegality of the Trump proclamations, the Bureau of Land Management should reject these recently filed claims in both national monuments. Below are quotes from Tribal leaders, conservation groups, and additional information. 

“When we talk about Grand Staircase-Escalante, we are not simply talking about public land or a national monument. We are talking about our homelands — living landscapes with personhood and spirit,” said Autumn Gillard, Southern Paiute and Coordinator of the Grand Staircase Inter-Tribal Coalition. “New mining on lands unlawfully cut from the monument threatens not just the land’s natural beauty, plants, and animals, but our sacred places, our culture, and our history. We are all stewards of these lands, and it is our duty to protect them for all our future generations, yours and mine.” 

“This rush to locate new mining claims in Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments – even though premature and unlawful – reinforces the need to be vigilant over the next several years while we work to undo Trump’s illegal actions and restore the monuments.“said Hanna Larsen, Staff Attorney at the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA). “Mining claims like these often lead to real and long-lasting damage to the very qualities that make these monuments so special.”

“The rush to stake mining claims in Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante has already begun, nearly a month before new mining claims would be allowed even under the illegal Trump proclamations,” said Axie Navas, director of designation campaigns at The Wilderness Society. “It’s hard to imagine a clearer sign of where this administration wants to take our public lands. National monuments belong to all of us. They represent our freedom to experience some of the most extraordinary landscapes in the country. We owe it to future generations to protect them — not sacrifice them for the short-term profit of special interests.”

“Mining claims on the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument puts crucial water resources at risk. The Monument protects over 2,510 river miles that could be negatively impacted by mining waste if claims are approved in haste. These rivers flow into Lake Powell and the Grand Canyon, which are visited by millions of people.” said Dr. Jackie Grant, Executive Director of the Grand Staircase-Escalante Partners. “If these mining claims are not being legally filed, what other illegal actions should we be worried about?”

“These illegal mining claims are proof that the Trump administration’s proclamations, if allowed to stand, would be devastating for public lands that are cherished by people across the country,” said Thomas Delehanty, senior attorney with Earthjustice’s Rocky Mountain Office. “President Trump’s proclamations were themselves illegal, and forthcoming litigation will seek to avoid this exact outcome. Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante, incredibly significant to Indigenous communities and beloved by recreationists for their one-of-a-kind features, deserve better than to be sacrificed to industrial extraction.”

“The speed with which the mining industry moved to stake claims following the dismantling of the Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears National Monuments demonstrates the real-world consequences of stripping protections from one of America’s most important landscapes,” said Bobby McEnaney, Director of Land Conservation at NRDC. “This sequence of events underscores exactly why Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante were originally established and why these landscapes deserve lasting protection. These future mining claims amount to a virtual giveaway of public lands.”

“While it’s clear these Kimmerle Mining claims were illegally staked before the ink was dry on Trump’s proclamation stripping national monument protections from these areas, it’s important to recognize that any future mining claims in the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante cultural landscapes are unacceptable,” said Chaitna Sinha, Conservation Codirector and Staff Attorney with the Grand Canyon Trust. “The cultural values here are irreplaceable; this is simply the wrong place for destructive new mining.” 

“The mining claims we’re seeing submitted in Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante on the heels of their illegal reduction goes to show that the Trump Administration intends to turn the public lands we love into sacrifice zones for privatization and exploitation,” said Franque Bains, Chapter Director of the Sierra Club in Utah. “We are prepared to fight to ensure that national monuments and public lands don’t become pawns in a scheme to turn a profit for corporate interests.” 

“It’s clear this administration will cut every corner and violate laws and guardrails to accelerate the destruction of America’s natural treasures,” Chris Hill, CEO of the Conservation Lands Foundation. “The ideologues driving this anti-public lands agenda are willfully ignoring the millions of Americans who stood up to protect Bears Ears and Grand Staircase national monuments and the overwhelming majority of Americans who support protecting MORE public lands. They forget they are accountable to everyone who values these natural places and is determined to expose their corruption.”  

“Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante were established to protect over a hundred thousand ancestral sites and are among the most beloved public lands in Utah. Mere weeks after their downsizing, we are seeing the very first mining claims being staked among their cultural and natural treasures, enabled by an outdated mining law from 1872,” said Sara Cawley, Energy Director at the National Parks Conservation Association. “It’s clear the arguments about access were always about access for mining companies. This puts the connectivity and health of dozens of national parks, monuments and protected wildlife corridors all the way to the Mojave Desert at risk, a precursor for what we can expect on other public lands under this administration unless more permanent protections are enacted to safeguard our special places.”

Background Information on Mining claims: 

• Map of 2026 claims in Bear Ears, showing the 2021 and 2026 Monument Boundaries and noting the location of the Easy Peasy Mine, created by the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA)
• Map of 2026 Claims in Grand Staircase-Escalante, created by SUWA
• Photo and video assets of Kimmerle’s Easy Peasy Mine and surrounding claims, please credit Tim Peterson.
  • Gallery & Gdrive 
  • Video b-roll

Background information about the national monument reductions:

• Statements from Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante Inter-Tribal coalitions
• SUWA Statement on Trump’s Illegal Reductions of Grand Staircase-Escalante & Bears Ears National Monuments
• Full Statement and Quotes Tracking
• Maps of the reductions
• Reporter Background Memo on National Monuments

###

The Grand Staircase-Escalante Inter-Tribal Coalition, which includes the Hopi Tribe, the Kaibab Band of Paiute Indians, the Navajo Nation, the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah, the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, and the Zuni Tribe, advocates for Grand-Staircase-Escalante National Monument, for Tribal voices and perspectives to be heard and included in the management of the monument, and for protecting the monument for all Americans to appreciate and enjoy. Learn more at www.grandstaircasecoalition.org 

The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA) is a nonprofit organization with members and supporters from around the country dedicated to protecting America’s redrock wilderness. From offices in Moab, Salt Lake City, and Washington, DC, our team of professionals defends the redrock, organizes support for America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act, and stewards a world-renowned landscape. Learn more at www.suwa.org.

The Grand Canyon Trust is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to safeguard the wonders of the Grand Canyon and the Colorado Plateau, while supporting the rights of its Native peoples. Learn more at www.grandcanyontrust.org

The post Mining Claims Filed Immediately After Trump Decimates National Monuments in Utah – 8.14.26 appeared first on Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance.

Thirty-seven senators recently signed a letter to President Trump vehemently opposing his recent monument reductions and standing up for Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante. That letter sent a clear message: our national monuments must not be attacked, diminished, or treated as bargaining chips.

But Trump’s attacks don’t stop at monument boundaries. The wild public lands surrounding and connecting many national monuments in Utah are part of the same remarkable redrock landscape and deserve lasting protection.

Please thank your senator(s) for signing the letter while also urging them to cosponsor America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act, landmark legislation that would protect more than 8 million acres of wild public land in Utah as wilderness, including lands within the national monuments.

Trump’s attack on the monuments is part of a broader effort to weaken protections for public lands across Utah and the West. The Red Rock bill offers a powerful response: permanent congressional protection for the canyons, mesas, badlands, and other desert wild lands that make this region so extraordinary.

The lands proposed for wilderness designation under the Red Rock bill provide critical wildlife habitat and migration corridors, protect cultural resources, and preserve intact desert ecosystems. Cosponsoring this visionary legislation is one of the clearest ways lawmakers can show they are serious about defending America’s public lands from attacks now and in the future.

Please contact your senator(s) now and ask them to cosponsor the Red Rock Bill. If one or both of your senators have already cosponsored, they’ll just receive a thank-you message.

The Senate sign-on letter is an important public rebuke of Trump’s actions on Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears. Now let’s build on that and make sure Congress protects the surrounding redrock wilderness lands that are essential to the future of these landscapes.

Thank you for taking action!

The post Thank Your Senator(s) for Defending National Monuments in Utah, Ask Them to Cosponsor ARRWA appeared first on Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance.