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October 2021 Redrock Report

Oct 21st, 2021 Written by suwa

Help Shape the Future of Utah’s Manti-La Sal National Forest

Hammond CanyonThe Manti-La Sal National Forest, which includes distinct forest units in the La Sal Mountains outside of Moab as well as the Abajo Mountains and a portion of Bears Ears National Monument in San Juan County, is revising its management plan for the first time in 35 years. Your input is vital to making sure this new plan includes smart, conservation-based management of these ecologically and culturally significant national forest lands.

The Manti-La Sal is an incredibly diverse and spectacular region that includes aspen groves, mountain lakes, stands of giant ponderosa pine, and rocky crags perched high above Utah’s canyon country. The forest is also a critical watershed of the Colorado Plateau, sustaining life far beyond its administrative borders.

The Forest Service is accepting public comments through October 25, 2021. At this stage of the process, the more specific you can be in your comments, the better.

>> Click here to learn more and take action now

Photo © Ray Bloxham/SUWA


Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears Restored at Last! What Next?

Monuments Restored GraphicPresident Biden’s long-awaited restoration of Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears National Monuments on October 8th was cause for true celebration in Utah and across the country, and your support helped make it possible. Thank you!

So what happens next? Well, two things are certain: the monuments will need new management plans, and in the meantime they must both be managed to meet the terms of President Biden’s proclamations. But for the moment, the dust is still settling and the timeline for the Bureau of Land Management to kick off its new planning processes remains unclear. Stay tuned for more news on this front.

In the meantime, please join us in thanking President Biden and Secretary Haaland by adding your name to our thank-you card if you haven’t already.

And if you’d like to visibly show your support for the restoration of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante, our online store has you covered. We’ve turned the designs of local Utah artist Josh Scheuerman into colorful stickers, magnets, and a unisex T-shirt featuring these incredible redrock landscapes. Find this limited-edition commemorative collection at suwa.org/goodies.


New Podcast Episode Highlights Growing Impacts of Human-Powered Recreation

Reimagining Recreatin Podcast GraphicHuman-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 (BLM).

On our latest Wild Utah podcast, Professor of Recreation Resources Management Dr. Christopher Monz and SUWA Wildlands Director Neal Clark discuss the impacts of human-powered recreation in southern Utah, and how implementing more proactive land management strategies will protect public lands, wildlife, and wild places—all while providing a spectrum of high-quality, meaningful experiences for a diverse recreating public.

>> Listen to the podcast now

>> Sign our petition asking the BLM to form a working group dedicated to reimagining recreation


Six More Members of Congress Endorse America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act

Hatch Cliffs (w/ photo credit)With help from activists across the country, America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act continues to pick up steam, gaining six new cosponsors in the past month. They are: Rep. James Langevin (D-RI-2), Rep. Val Demings (D-FL-10), Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA-17), Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA-5), Rep. David Trone (D-MD-6), and Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI-1). If you live in any of their districts, please thank them for helping protect Utah’s wild landscapes.

America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act is the legislative embodiment of the citizens’ proposal for Utah wilderness and defines the turf of the Utah wilderness debate. It’s important for congressional support of the bill to mirror its breadth of support nationwide. You can help by contacting your legislators and asking them to cosponsor America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act today!

Click here to see the current list of cosponsors in the 117th Congress.

Photo © Tom Till


Utahns: Tell Us Your Thoughts on 30×30

We’re taking a survey of fellow Utahns: What do you think of 30×30?⁠

Scientists tell us that we need to protect 30 percent of the earth’s lands and oceans by 2030 to stem the loss of nature, prevent mass extinction of species, and mitigate the impacts of climate change.⁠ In other words: it is necessary for the survival and well-being of life on earth, including our communities in Utah. ⁠

Together with other groups in the region, we’re looking to learn what 30×30 means to you and what you think are the most important actions within this initiative.⁠

>> Click here to take the survey now