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SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Public lands and environmental advocates gathered on the south steps of the Utah State Capitol on Saturday, Jan. 11, to show their support for public lands in Utah.
“We’re here showing our support for public lands, ’cause public lands belong in public hands,” Kelly Burnham told ABC4.com.
Burnham is the membership coordinator for the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA), a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting Utah’s red-rock wilderness. SUWA helped organize Saturday’s event, which had a heavy focus on Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments.
In 2017, the boundaries of the monuments were reduced, but were later restored in 2021. In 2023, a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit challenging the use of the Antiquities Act to restore the boundaries of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante. That dismissal was appealed by Utah groups, and oral arguments were heard in the case in Sept. 2024, SUWA said.
“We’re trying to rally public pressure so our lawmakers will listen to us, to show that Utah as a whole supports public lands,” Burnham said.
People at the rally were holding signs reading, “Utah stands with Bears Ears,” “Save Grand Staircase Escalante,” and “Protect Wild Utah,” among other messages.
SUWA said another threat to Utah’s public lands was the Aug. 2024 lawsuit filed against the federal government, in which Utah leaders were seeking control of 18.5 million acres (34%) of Utah’s federally controlled, unappropriated land.
“Should Utah acquire these lands, the state will manage them for multiple uses: to balance recreation, wildlife habitat, and conservation with other responsible uses such as energy production, livestock grazing, and sustainable resource development,” Utah leaders explain on a website dedicated to explaining the lawsuit.
On the other hand, some advocacy groups have argued that the lawsuit is a “land grab.”
“I want to see our lawmakers recognize our public lands for their intrinsic value, and not for the economic value,” Burnham said.