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The heart behind activism can sometimes be overlooked– but it’s often what grounds us in why we do this work. That couldn’t be more true for the Episcopal Diocese of Utah. This spring, they passed a Resolution in support of America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act (ARRWA) and Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears National Monuments. The church’s support benefits future generations of Americans and show respect for Indigenous people with ties to the land, and it furthers action to combat climate change and stem the global loss of biodiversity by protecting habitat for all living beings.⁠ Joining this episode to discuss the importance of this resolution as one component of protecting all living things are three people from the Episcopal Church in Utah:  the Very Reverend Tyler Doherty, the Dean & Rector at St Mark’s Cathedral; Ron Barness, a longtime member of St Mark’s who serves on the vestry and is chair of the Creation Care sub-committee for the Episcopal Diocese of Utah; and Forrest Cuch, a Ute tribal Elder, Senior Warden at St. Elizabeth’s Episcopal Church in Whiterocks, Utah, and a member of the Creation Care sub-committee.  Take Action After this Episode: Sign up to stay in the loop on redrock news and actions from SUWA! Thank you to our show supporters! Wild Utah is made possible by the contributing members of SUWA. Thank you for your support! Become a SUWA member today and support the Wild Utah Podcast Subscribe to Wild Utah on your favorite podcast app! wildutah.info/Stitcher wildutah.info/Apple wildutah.info/Spotify Theme music is by Haley Noel Austin, with interlude music by Larry Pattis. Dave Pacheco is the host of Wild Utah. Post studio production and editing is by Laura Borichevsky.

Since its inception a few years back, SUWA’s Stewardship Program has aimed to foster a stewardship ethic and promote service as recreation in Utah through opportunities to work directly and actively to preserve and enhance the wilderness character of Utah’s public lands.  So what does all of that mean– for volunteers, and for the redrock wilderness? Tune in to find out! You’ll be transported to a recent stewardship project in the Canyon Rims area (featuring voices from a couple inspiring University of Utah Alternative Break students) while hearing all about SUWA’s stewardship philosophy from one incredibly dynamic duo: Stewardship Director Jeremy Lynch and Stewardship Coordinator Jack Hanley.  Take Action After this Episode: Sign up to stay in the know about future Stewardship Projects this season and beyond! Check out the SUWA Stewardship Project Calendar here! Thank you to our show supporters! Wild Utah is made possible by the contributing members of SUWA. Thank you for your support! Become a SUWA member today and support the Wild Utah Podcast  A special thank you for this episode also goes to the U of U Alternative Break crew who joined us for a one-day project that helped to create the in-the-field audio you hear on this episode. Subscribe to Wild Utah on your favorite podcast app! wildutah.info/Stitcher wildutah.info/Apple wildutah.info/Spotify Theme music is by Haley Noel Austin, with interlude music by Larry Pattis. Dave Pacheco is the host of Wild Utah. Post studio production and editing is by Laura Borichevsky. A transcript of this episode can be found here.

How do we balance off-road vehicle use with the critical need to protect southern Utah’s redrock wilderness? Anyone who visits southern Utah will inevitably hear the whine of off-road vehicles (ORVs) and see how their use has scarred the landscape. In southern Utah especially, the recent exponential growth of ORV recreation has led to stream erosion and water pollution, dust and soil erosion, destruction of wildlife habitat, damage to archaeological sites and cultural resources, and increased conflicts between public land users. Travel management is one tool that can help us to take part in the creation of thoughtful, balanced plans that provide access– not excess– when it comes to off-road vehicle use and mitigate impacts to wilderness. Tune in to hear all about it (including how you can take action right now!) from SUWA’s ORV Policy Fellow, Kelsey Cruickshank.  Take Action After this Episode: Comment now on the scoping plans for Paunsaugunt (Kanab, UT) travel management area! Sign up to receive action alerts from SUWA so you can participate in upcoming comment periods for ORV use on Utah’s public lands! Thank you to our show supporters! Wild Utah is made possible by the contributing members of SUWA. Thank you for your support! Become a SUWA member today and support the Wild Utah PodcastSubscribe to Wild Utah on your favorite podcast app! wildutah.info/Stitcher wildutah.info/Apple wildutah.info/Spotify Theme music is by Haley Noel Austin, with interlude music by Larry Pattis. Dave Pacheco is the host of Wild Utah. Post studio production and editing is by Laura Borichevsky. A transcript of this episode can be found here.

The oil & gas leasing, drilling and cleanup program in the United States is a mess– needing serious reform, time and money to fix. During the 2020 presidential election, Joe Biden made some encouraging statements and promises to address the climate crisis. in particular, Mr. Biden promised to wind down oil & gas leasing and drilling on public lands in the U.S. So where do things stand one year later, especially in Utah? To answer that question and explore the administration’s ongoing efforts to reform this broken program, we are joined by SUWA Staff Attorney Landon Newell. Take Action After this Episode: Sign up to receive alerts from SUWA so you can participate in petitions, keep up to date on oil & gas leasing news, and take other actions to support oil & gas reform! Resources: Story Map: The Pause on New Oil & Gas Leasing in Utah: One Year Later Thank you to our show supporters! Wild Utah is made possible by the contributing members of SUWA. Thank you for your support! Become a SUWA member today and support the Wild Utah PodcastSubscribe to Wild Utah on your favorite podcast app! wildutah.info/Stitcher wildutah.info/Apple wildutah.info/Spotify Theme music is by Haley Noel Austin, with interlude music by Larry Pattis. Dave Pacheco is the host of Wild Utah. Post studio production and editing is by Laura Borichevsky. A transcript of this episode can be found here when this link becomes active.

What happens when new land protections and wilderness are designated? While every land management journey is different, one thing's for sure: the devil's in the details.⁠ ⁠ The latest episode of Wild Utah looks at this process through 663,000 acres of land recently designated as wilderness through the 2019 John D. Dingell Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act, Congress passed the Emery County Public Land Management Act. Among other things, this act created 17 new wilderness areas, the San Rafael Swell Recreation Area, and three Wild and Scenic segments on the Green River. ⁠ ⁠ As a result of these new designations, there are a lot of details to consider. And because the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) must update its management plan for each of the affected areas-- which includes input from the public-- it's a process that will take well over a year to complete. ⁠ ⁠ So, what's the importance of this process? What do we want to see happen in following through with these new wilderness protections? And when and how do we contact the BLM about all of this to make our voices heard? SUWA Wildlands Attorney Judi Brawer joins us in this highly informative episode that we can all look to as a guide.⁠ ⁠ Take Action After this Episode: Sign up to receive action alerts from SUWA so you can participate in the next phase of the commenting process! Thank you to our show supporters! Wild Utah is made possible by the contributing members of SUWA. Thank you for your support! Become a SUWA member today and support the Wild Utah PodcastSubscribe to Wild Utah on your favorite podcast app! wildutah.info/Stitcher wildutah.info/Apple wildutah.info/Spotify Theme music is by Haley Noel Austin, with interlude music by Larry Pattis. Dave Pacheco is the host of Wild Utah. Post studio production and editing is by Laura Borichevsky. A transcript of this episode can be found here.

On December 4th, the state of Utah issued a multi-million dollar contract bid, furthering their plans to file a lawsuit challenging the restoration of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments, possibly all the way to the Supreme Court. ⁠ ⁠ The state was clearly not listening to the people.⁠ ⁠ Two days prior, on December 2nd, Tribal and Indigenous community leaders, in addition to people from across Utah, protested at the state Capitol to discourage the irresponsible misuse of state tax dollars. ⁠ ⁠ Tune into the latest episode of the Wild Utah podcast to hear each of the speakers from that night, recorded live at the Capitol:⁠ ⁠ • Malcom Lehi, Councilman of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe and Co-Chair of the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition ⁠ • Timothy Nuvangyaoma, Chairman of the Hopi Tribe⁠ ⁠ • David Filfred, Co-Chair of Utah Diné Bikéyah ⁠ • Olivia Juarez, Latinx Community Organizer for SUWA⁠ ⁠ • Brooke Larsen, Utah community activist, organizer, & writer⁠ ⁠ Take Action After this Episode: Send a message to Utah Governor Cox and Attorney General Reyes to let them know that pursuing this lawsuit would be another monumental mistake! Resources: Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition Statement on Bears Ears National Monument restoration  Utah Diné Bikéyah  SUWA Statement on Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument restorations Learn more about SUWA’s stance on Bears Ears here Learn more about SUWA’s stance on Grand Staircase-Escalante here Highlights In the News:  KSL: ‘Stop the attacks’: Tribal leaders, activists plead for end to ‘political football’ over Utah monuments Salt Lake Tribune: Utahns gather at State Capitol to protest Attorney General’s lawsuit against Bears Ears National Monument restoration Salt Lake Tribune: Utah Attorney General’s office selects law firm in legal challenge over Bears Ears and Grand Staircase monuments KSL: Utah AG's Office picks national law firm to assist in potential monuments lawsuit Thank you to our show supporters! Wild Utah is made possible by the contributing members of SUWA. Thank you for your support! Become a SUWA member today and support the Wild Utah PodcastSubscribe to Wild Utah on your favorite podcast app! wildutah.info/Stitcher wildutah.info/Apple wildutah.info/Spotify Theme music is by Haley Noel Austin, with interlude music by Larry Pattis. Dave Pacheco is the host of Wild Utah. Post studio production and editing is by Laura Borichevsky. A transcript of this episode can be found here.

Now that we’ve collectively taken a month or so to deeply breathe in full restoration of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments to their original boundaries: what comes next? We’ve invited SUWA’s Legal Director, Steve Bloch to explain the current state of things. Steve has guided SUWA’s work through legal and administrative challenges on both monuments over the years, and he’s here to bring us up to date on the process, answer your questions, and explain what you can do to reinforce protections for these outstanding places. Take Action After this Episode: Sign a thank you card to President Biden and Interior Secretary Haaland for restoring Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments! Attend an upcoming webcast with Oregonians of Wild Utah, Washington Friends of Wild Utah, and Jacqueline Keeler to further unpack the future of Bears Ears. Resources: Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition Statement on Bears Ears National Monument restoration  SUWA Statement on Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument restorations Learn more about SUWA’s stance on Bears Ears here Learn more about SUWA’s stance on Grand Staircase-Escalante here Highlights In the News:  KSLTV: Tribes, advocates praise Bears Ears restoration High Country News: Bears Ears is back-- but don’t celebrate just yet Washington Post Opinion: Bears Ears is protected again. But for how long? Deseret Opinion: It’s time to deflate the Bears Ears political football Huffington Post: Utah Republicans Shamelessly Invoke Tribes to Condemn Bidens Monument Restorations ABC 7 Denver: Native stewards of Bears Ears hope for more Indigenous voices to be included in federal land management KUTV2: Utah AG challenging orders over Bears Ears, Grand Staircase National Monuments Outside Magazine Op-Ed: There’s more work to do at Bears Ears Thank you to our show supporters! Wild Utah is made possible by the contributing members of SUWA. Thank you for your support! Become a SUWA member today and support the Wild Utah Podcast Subscribe to Wild Utah on your favorite podcast app!  wildutah.info/Stitcher wildutah.info/Apple wildutah.info/Spotify Theme music is by Haley Noel Austin, with interlude music by Larry Pattis. Dave Pacheco is the host of Wild Utah. Post studio production and editing is by Laura Borichevsky. A transcript of this episode can be found here.

Human-powered recreation is exploding on public lands throughout the west, with Southern Utah as the poster child for unsustainable growth and associated impacts to resources and user experiences. These problems are compounded by under-staffed and under-resourced federal land management agencies like the Bureau of Land Management. Join Professor of Recreation Resources Management Dr.Christopher Monz and SUWA Wildlands Director Neal Clark to learn about the impacts of human-powered recreation in Southern Utah, and how implementing more proactive land management strategies from the Bureau of Land Management will protect public lands, wildlife and wild places-- all while providing a spectrum of high-quality, meaningful experiences for a diverse recreating public.

Sometimes referred to as “the science monument,” Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument was established 25 years ago to protect the objects of significant scientific value found in the area. Since President Trump illegally halved the monument in 2017, monument supporters including SUWA and Grand Staircase-Escalante Partners have been working hard to get it back. We speak with Sarah Bauman, Executive Director of Grand Staircase-Escalante Partners, about the effort to restore the monument, and why this area is so deserving of restored protection. Wild Utah is made possible by the contributing members of SUWA. Wild Utah’s theme music, “What’s Worth?” is composed by Moab singer-songwriter Haley Noel Austin. Post studio production and editing is by Jerry Schmidt.

We examine how America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act defines the turf of Utah’s wilderness debate - literally on the ground, as well as politically - and how the bill sets the standard against which other legislative and administrative actions are measured. Wild Utah is made possible by the contributing members of SUWA. Wild Utah’s theme music, “What’s Worth?” is composed by Moab singer-songwriter Haley Noel Austin. Post studio production and editing is by Jerry Schmidt.

We take a step back to look at the macro view of why southern Utah captures the hearts of so many. We’re joined by Michael Haswood, Bears Ears Artist in Residence at Utah Diné Bikéyah, to ask: What is beauty? How is beauty embodied in your art? Is beauty important in the movement to protect wilderness? Wild Utah is made possible by the contributing members of SUWA. Wild Utah’s theme music, “What’s Worth?” is composed by Moab singer-songwriter Haley Noel Austin. Post studio production and editing is by Jerry Schmidt.

SUWA and coalition partners across the country are calling on the Department of Interior to assert its long-held and ongoing authority to inventory and manage Wilderness Study Areas as a practical and secure means of achieving national conservation and restoration goals. We discuss the role BLM wilderness study areas, in Utah and across the western U.S., can play in helping to connect wildlife corridors, protect biodiversity, and mitigate the climate crisis. Wild Utah is made possible by the contributing members of SUWA. Wild Utah’s theme music, “What’s Worth?” is composed by Moab singer-songwriter Haley Noel Austin. Post studio production and editing is by Jerry Schmidt.

Get the details behind a new scientific report from EcoAdapt: Contribution of the America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act to Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Efforts. The report is authored by EcoAdapt's Laura Hillberg, and she joins us to explain its conclusions. Wild Utah is made possible by the contributing members of SUWA. Wild Utah’s theme music, “What’s Worth?” is composed by Moab singer-songwriter Haley Noel Austin. Post studio production and editing is by Jerry Schmidt.

In this episode, we take on the climate implications of the Bureau of Land Management's “vegetation removal” program. Previously, we’ve discussed this clearcutting of mostly healthy pinyon-juniper forest in the name of “habitat restoration” - a practice that mostly benefits domestic livestock grazers. SUWA Wildlands Attorney Kya Marienfeld joins us to preview a new SUWA report on how the BLM’s vegetation removal program is Moving Backward on Climate and 30 x 30. Wild Utah is made possible by the contributing members of SUWA. Wild Utah’s theme music, “What’s Worth?” is composed by Moab singer-songwriter Haley Noel Austin. Post studio production and editing is by Jerry Schmidt.

The Bureau of Land Management is accepting public comments for a new travel management plan for the spectacular San Rafael Swell. With the designation of new wilderness areas in the Swell in 2019, and with the BLM’s poor track record of over-designating new routes through this kind of planning, your comments are important. SUWA staff attorney Laura Peterson rejoins us to talk about the San Rafael Swell Travel Management planning process and what you can do. Wild Utah is made possible by the contributing members of SUWA. Wild Utah’s theme music, “What’s Worth?” is composed by Moab singer-songwriter Haley Noel Austin. Post studio production and editing is by Jerry Schmidt.

What role can America's Red Rock Wilderness Act play in achieving the Biden administrations goals of mitigating the climate crisis and protecting 30 percent of America's lands and waters by 2030? We dive deep into two recent scientific reports that provide an answer. Wild Utah is made possible by the contributing members of SUWA. Our theme music, “What’s Worth?” was written and performed in Moab by Haley Noel Austin.

SUWA Legislative Director Jen Ujifusa and Legal Director Steve Bloch discuss how the 2020 election results will affect our work to protect Utah’s wild redrock country, and what we expect President Biden to do with respect to Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments. Wild Utah is made possible by the contributing members of SUWA. Our theme music, “What’s Worth?” was written and performed in Moab by Haley Noel Austin.

Located just three miles from the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe’s White Mesa community and one mile from Bears Ears National Monument, the White Mesa Uranium Mill was originally designed to run for 15 years before being closed and cleaned up. 40 years later, the mill is still in operation, and community members are concerned about the mill's continued impacts on public and environmental health, as well as the mill’s ongoing desecration of cultural and sacred sites. As the last remaining conventional uranium processing mill in the country, will the White Mesa Mill become the world's radioactive waste dump? We speak with Yolanda Badback from White Mesa Concerned Community and Talia Boyd, Cultural Landscapes Program Manager with the Grand Canyon Trust, about the nuclear fuel cycle, impacts to Indigenous communities, and what you can do to help stop ongoing harm by closing and cleaning up the mill. Wild Utah is made possible by the contributing members of SUWA. Our theme music, “What’s Worth?” was written and performed in Moab by Haley Noel Austin.

SUWA Staff Attorney Landon Newell discusses a proposal by the Bureau of Land Management to allow a helium drilling project within the newly-established Labyrinth Canyon Wilderness along the Green River. This is the latest in a long series of outrageous actions on public lands by President Trump’s Bureau of Land Management, but there are ways for you to get involved in the effort to stop the drilling of this spectacular wilderness before it starts. Wild Utah is made possible by the contributing members of SUWA. Our theme music, “What’s Worth?” was written and performed in Moab by Haley Noel Austin.

SUWA Staff Attorney Laura Peterson discusses the recent decision by the Utah Bureau of Land Management to more than double the number of off-road vehicle routes across the wild San Rafael Desert. We get her perspective on the decision, how it will affect future BLM travel planning across Utah, and what this means for SUWA’s efforts to protect wild Utah from motorized mayhem in our remaining wild places. Wild Utah is made possible by the contributing members of SUWA. Our theme music, “What’s Worth?” was written and performed in Moab by Haley Noel Austin.