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Actions You Can Take to Defend Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument

Jan 22nd, 2026 Written by suwa

There’s no way to sugarcoat it: Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is under attack

The elected officials behind 2025’s failed public lands sell-off attempts – Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) and Rep. Celeste Maloy (R-UT-02) – introduced a joint resolution to undo the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Management Plan using the Congressional Review Act (CRA). 

If both chambers of Congress pass the measure by simple majority votes, the plan – which sets expectations for how these remarkable public lands will be managed for recreation, camping and outdoor access, collaboration with Tribal Nations, dark night skies, grazing, and other uses – will be undone and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will be barred from issuing another plan that is “substantially the same” in the future. This would be a devastating blow to the monument and could turn it into a wildly different place. We cannot let this happen. 

Here are ways you can join us and fight back: 

  • Visit our action page and email your members of Congress, telling them to vote NO on the joint resolution. 

  • Reach out to your friends, family, neighbors, and colleagues who you know also love the redrock, Grand Staircase-Escalante, and southern Utah. Send them a link to our action alert and encourage them to join our email list too!
  • Share this action on social media – be sure to tag our accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, and TikTok

  • Call your Representative and both of your Senators (find office numbers here), saying something along the lines of: “Hi my name is _____, and I’m a constituent from ______. I am calling to urge you to vote NO on the Congressional Review Act Resolution targeting the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument management plan.  The monument — a crown jewel of America’s public lands and a place like nowhere else in the world — should be protected for its rich biodiversity, unique geology, and remarkable cultural values. The resolution to disapprove the plan puts everything that is special about Grand Staircase-Escalante at risk. Please vote NO. Thank you.”
  • If you live outside of Utah, reach out to a member of SUWA’s Grassroots Organizing Team to get more involved and find out if your member of Congress is one who could cast a deciding vote.  

  • View and share our Grand Staircase-Escalante StoryMap.

  • Watch our recent Emergency Webinar in Defense of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and learn about ways to take effective action from wherever you live.
  • If you’re able, consider financially supporting SUWA. Our members and supporters make our work possible. 

  • If you’re looking for another way to participate, we encourage you to get creative! We’re seeking artistic works for use in an interactive map for Grand Staircase-Escalante. Create something new or share a piece you’ve already made. This can range from short stories about your experiences in the monument, to quick sketches, to your favorite photographs! Email files to loveforgse@suwa.org

For over 40 years, SUWA and the nationwide Protect Wild Utah movement have worked tirelessly to protect wilderness-quality lands, including the monument. That work continues, undeterred.  Thank you for standing with us at this critical moment.