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Supporters and wilderness advocates like you play a critical role in the protection of Utah’s spectacular wild places.
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June 15th, 2021
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.
Listen on your favorite app!
wildutah.info/Stitcher
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June 14th, 2021
The Biden administration is poised to authorize oil and gas drilling on the doorstep of Dinosaur National Monument. If approved by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the proposal will industrialize a remote and scenic area by greenlighting the construction of new access roads, well pads, and the drilling of two wells—all about ¼ of a mile from the monument.
This ill-conceived project—proposed by Hoodoo Mining & Production Co. LLC—runs counter to every stated goal and objective of the Biden administration. It threatens some of our nation’s wildest, most scenic public lands, including a national monument, and will harm lands with wilderness characteristics as well as priority habitat for greater sage-grouse. On top of all this, it will exacerbate the climate crisis.
The BLM is accepting comments through June 23rd. Please tell agency not to approve this terrible drilling proposal.
Wilderness-quality lands at risk near Dinosaur National Monument. © Scott Braden/SUWA
Making matters worse, BLM is bending over backwards to facilitate the project. The drilling and related development will take place on public lands that are currently subject to a “no surface occupancy” stipulation, which prohibits all surface disturbing activities. When Hoodoo Mining acquired the lease it did so with full knowledge of this restriction. Now, at the company’s request, the BLM is proposing to waive that important stipulation rather than requiring the company to develop in a less sensitive area.
Tell the BLM not to grant Hoodoo Mining’s request to waive the “no surface occupancy” stipulation.
Dinosaur National Monument is world-renowned for its remarkable density and diversity of prehistoric sites and paleontological resources. In addition, according to the National Park Service, the monument “is one of the darkest places remaining in the United States. Because there is little light pollution here, you can see the stars of the Milky Way galaxy with startling clarity.”
With your help, SUWA will fight every step of this project to ensure that the monument remains that way.
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June 10th, 2021
Immediate Opening: Posted 6/10/2021
The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA), Utah’s largest conservation organization, has an immediate opening for a full-time Social Media and Digital Advertising Specialist. The position is based in our Salt Lake City; Moab, UT; or Washington, DC office.
Job Description
The Social Media and Digital Advertising Specialist is a motivated digital communications professional with a proven track record in audience development, digital engagement and advertising, and SEO and data analysis. Working at the direction of the Media Director and with the Communications Manager, the Social Media and Digital Advertising Specialist is passionate about digital storytelling and adept at using analytics to optimize activist and member engagement. The ideal candidate has a track record of converting complex issues into engaging, actionable, and informative content. Experience in political or advocacy campaigns is desirable but not required; applicants with relevant B2C digital marketing experience are encouraged to apply.
How to Apply
Interested applicants should send the following materials to Mathew Gross at hiring@suwa.org: a cover letter, resume, and 3 professional references. In addition, applicants are encouraged to send a work sample document containing 5-8 links or files of representative social media work, such as blog or social media posts, memes, advertising creatives, or videos or slideshows.
Please direct questions to this email address as well. The deadline to submit an application is Wednesday, June 30, 2021.
Responsibilities
- Execute a results-driven social media and online advertising strategy.
- Develop and curate engaging content for all social media and digital advertising platforms.
- Interact with users and respond to social media messages, inquiries, and comments.
- Review analytics and create reports on key advertising and social media metrics.
- Set up, optimize and manage ongoing and discrete digital advertising campaigns, including management of ad budgets, A/B testing ad creatives, setting up audiences, and optimizing for conversions.
- Assist in the development and management of social media marketing and influencer marketing strategy.
- Assist in the management of the SUWA website, media database, Patagonia ActionWorks page, and broadcast SMS and CRM platforms.
- Assist in sending out email and SMS alerts and press releases as needed.
- Working with the Organizing team, schedule, plan, run, and analyze digital events such as webinars, trainings, and other events to build our digital and grassroots community; and analyze and make recommendations to improve the Organizing team’s use of the digital space.
Requirements
- Passion for social media and proficiency with major social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) and social media management tools.
- Proficiency with photo editing tools, digital media formats, and HTML.
- Excellent social listening skills.
- Ability to understand historical, current, and future trends in the digital content, social media, and online advertising spaces.
- Strong copywriting and copy editing skills.
- Time management skills with the ability to multitask.
- Detail-oriented approach with ability to work under pressure to meet deadlines.
- Professional experience working with CMS and CRM platforms.
- Professional experience with Google Analytics/Tag Manager, including setup, optimization and analysis of Goals, Ecommerce, Funnels, and UTM source codes.
- Professional experience developing, managing, and optimizing targeted advertising campaigns on Facebook, Google Ad Network, and/or other online advertising platforms.
Familiarity with Blubrry, WordPress, Blackbaud/Luminate Online, Phone2Action, Photoshop, Adobe Spark, Meltwater, or similar platforms is desirable but not required.
Familiarity with the environmental and conservation movement is desirable but not required.
Education, Experience, and Salary
Associates or Bachelors degree, or relevant technical or professional training or accreditation in lieu of college.
2+ years experience with political, advocacy, or B2C social media marketing, organizing and content development, and commensurate experience managing Google Ads, Facebook, or similar advertising platform accounts.
Starting salary for two years experience is $45,000, adjusted DOE. SUWA provides vacation, holiday and sick leave; health insurance; retirement benefits; and disability. Relocation reimbursement provided.
Location and Start Date
The Social Media and Digital Advertising Specialist is based in SUWA’s Salt Lake City, UT; Moab, UT; or Washington, DC office.
Start date: August 16-September 7, 2021
SUWA is committed to workplace diversity and inclusion. SUWA is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.
SUWA is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of the outstanding wilderness at the heart of the Colorado Plateau, and the management of these lands in their natural state for the benefit of all Americans. SUWA promotes local and national recognition of the region’s unique character through research and public education; supports both administrative and legislative initiatives to permanently protect Colorado Plateau wild places within the National Park and National Wilderness Preservation Systems, or by other protective designations where appropriate; builds support for such initiatives on both the local and national level; and provides leadership within the conservation movement through uncompromising advocacy for wilderness preservation.
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June 9th, 2021
There is some entertainment value to Senator Romney and Representative Curtis introducing an Illinois wilderness bill to contrast the more serious proposal from Senator Durbin to protect federally-owned wild lands located within the state of Utah. However, their bill covers the entire Shawnee National Forest regardless of what is still wild and what is not, so it doesn’t truly pass the laugh test.
So let’s talk about actions that are actually important and impactful.
The world is facing a climate crisis. The Colorado River is at all-time lows and shrinking, threatening water used for drinking and growing food for millions. Forest fires burn across the headlines. Bigger fiercer hurricanes are wreaking unprecedented damage. Storm patterns are harming agriculture in the American heartland. Refugees are beginning to flee from one nation to another due to climate impacts. Creation itself is in decline with the numbers of lifeforms and their wild homes crashing to unprecedented lows. This is just the beginning tip of the melting iceberg.
Instead of frivolous legislation, it would be helpful to see a serious proposal from the Utah delegation. Fortunately, we have “America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act” to fill the void.
Scientists – and the Paris Climate Agreement — tell us we need to remain below a 1.5 degree Celsius temperature increase if we are to avoid widespread and irreversible disaster. To accomplish that we need to stop emitting greenhouse gasses and sustain Mother Nature’s capacity to draw carbon out of the atmosphere via sequestration. America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act makes a sizable contribution on both fronts.
A new peer-reviewed research study shows that Senator Durbin’s bill would allow us to keep in the ground the equivalent of nearly 6% of the carbon budget necessary to avoid warming the earth more than 1.5 degrees. The same study shows that conserving the trees, desert shrublands and soils on these lands would retain their innate ability to pull carbon out of the atmosphere, allowing the amount of carbon sequestered by these lands to increase 10% over the course of this century.
And there are more benefits. America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act would conserve substantial areas of “climate refugia” – wildland habitat that is crucial for animals and plants to adapt to and survive changing climate conditions. In addition, Utah’s wildlands sit in a uniquely productive place for sustaining multi-state wildlife corridors – five to be exact – that provide lifelines for deer, elk, bighorn sheep, pronghorn antelope, black bear and mountain lion in a changing climate.Finally, Senator Durbin’s bill would help sustain flows in the shrinking Colorado River. This is because the bill would help prevent surface-disturbing activities which increase the amount of windblown dust that lands on Colorado snowpack. Studies show that “red dust on snow” causes the snow to melt faster and sooner, reducing flows by more than 5% in recent years.
These are positive impacts for people across the west, the entire nation, and the world.
What happens to the wild places on the United States public lands within the boundaries of Utah is of concern to all Americans. We elect United States Senators to represent their home state, serve the entire country and do what they can to help the world. We are grateful that Sen. Durbin is stepping into his responsibility, acting for our families and for our future.
Take Action! Ask Your Members of Congress to Cosponsor America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act.
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June 8th, 2021
Today, America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act was reintroduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Rep. Alan Lowenthal (D-CA). That means both the House and Senate versions are officially on the books for the 117th Congress and we are ready to roll!
Please ask your members of Congress to cosponsor America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act today!
The House bill was reintroduced with 57 original cosponsors already signed on, while the companion bill in the Senate is currently endorsed by 13 senators (click here to see the full cosponsor list). That’s a great start, but we need your help to boost these numbers much higher in the coming weeks by asking your representative and senators to endorse the bill if they haven’t already.
Lockhart Basin proposed wilderness, copyright Ray Bloxham/SUWA
America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act is the seminal legislation that would protect 8.4 million acres of wild public lands in Utah. We all know these spectacular landscapes are worthy of permanent protection, but now we also know they play a significant role in addressing climate change by drawing carbon out of the atmosphere, sequestering it in plants and soils, and providing climate refugia for wildlife. These wild desert lands are also a vital link in the interconnected chain of largely undisturbed ecosystems running from the Grand Canyon to Glacier National Park, providing important migration corridors for wildlife.
Many of you have helped build support for America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act over the years by signing postcards, making phone calls, sending emails, and even traveling to Washington, DC to meet with your elected officials in person. With the Biden administration’s current focus on climate and conserving 30% of land and water in the U.S. by 2030, now is the time to ramp up your advocacy efforts as we work to move this legislation forward!
Click here to contact your representatives now.
If you’d like to learn more about the bill—or simply celebrate its reintroduction with us—please join our short and sweet webinar this Wednesday, June 9th, from 6:00pm–6:30pm MT. SUWA’s Organizing and Legislative teams will briefly discuss the origins of America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act and what we can do to garner widespread support in Congress. Please RSVP HERE or join us on Facebook Live.
Thanks for all you do!