Grand Staircase-Escalante Needs Your Voice!
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As you’re likely aware by now, Utah’s congressional delegation is expected to introduce a “Joint Resolution” in Congress that, if passed, would undo the current management plan for Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. This is an “all hands on deck” moment for everyone who loves the monument, Utah’s redrock country, and public lands across the country.
Both houses of Congress will get back to business on Monday, February 23. In the meantime, SUWA has been busy mobilizing supporters to contact (or meet with) their members of Congress and urge them to oppose the joint resolution. Click here to learn what actions you can take now, from wherever you live. You can also get up to speed on this issue by reading recent media coverage in the Salt Lake Tribune, Durango Herald, Rocky Mountain Public Radio, Center for Western Priorities, and Writers on the Range.
If you missed our Emergency Webinar in Defense of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument on February 9, we encourage you to watch it here. SUWA Legal Director Steve Bloch will also be speaking on this subject at the Great Old Broads for Wilderness “Lunch and Learn” webinar on February 26.
Finally, if you haven’t already done so, we urge you to take action on our website. 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. We’re currently focusing grassroots pressure on Montana, Idaho, the Western Slope of Colorado, Nebraska, the greater Philadelphia area (including both Pennsylvania and New Jersey), and Maine. Thanks for speaking up for Grand Staircase!
Help Us Kick Off the 2026 Stewardship Season in Early March!
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Our Stewardship Program’s 2026 season kicks off in less than two weeks. Please consider joining us early this year to help build the momentum we need for a successful year of hands-on conservation.
Got a touch of spring fever? We’re looking for volunteers to join us from March 5-7 for our very first project in sunny southwest Utah, where a rolling sea of pale sand dunes punctuated with stately ponderosa pines supports a population of rare, endemic tiger beetles. We’ll work on habitat protection with rangers, installing a wooden, low-impact fence to protect the wild parts of this landscape and promote responsible outdoor recreation. Don’t miss this great opportunity to experience and help conserve a unique Utah landscape. Click here to learn more about this project and apply!
Our complete 2026 Stewardship Calendar can be found here. As always, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Stewardship Program staff at volunteer@suwa.org.
Photo © Ray Bloxham/SUWA
Coalition Files Lawsuit Over Illegal Highway Approval through Red Cliffs NCA
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Earlier this month, a coalition of six local, Utah-based, and national conservation organizations, including SUWA, sued the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for illegally reapproving the four-lane Northern Corridor Highway through the Red Cliffs National Conservation Area near St. George. Conservation groups filed the lawsuit after learning that the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) would be starting ground-disturbing activities for the highway’s construction despite the BLM having yet to approve a required highway development plan.
The proposed Northern Corridor Highway would carve a high-speed highway through designated critical habitat for the threatened Mojave desert tortoise. It would damage iconic redrock landscapes, disrupt treasured outdoor recreation opportunities, and set a dangerous precedent for congressionally protected public lands across the U.S.
Abandoning their previous scientific findings, the federal agencies’ recent decision reversed a December 2024 rejection of the same proposal by the BLM and Fish and Wildlife Service and marks the eighth time the controversial highway has been considered. The project has been stopped on seven previous attempts over concerns related to wildlife, public safety, legal compliance, and community opposition.
>> Read the coalition press release
Photo courtesy of Conserve Southwest Utah
Meet Canyon Keepers: SUWA’s Monthly Giving Program
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Monthly giving provides a strong and reliable foundation that allows SUWA to focus on our most pressing work: defending against threats of public land privatization and development, fossil fuel leasing, agency mismanagement, and other forms of exploitation.
Our monthly donors have been part of SUWA’s story for years. This circle of members, whose dependable contributions support our work year-round, are now called “Canyon Keepers.” If you’re already a monthly donor, thank you! If not, we hope you’ll consider becoming one.
Becoming a Canyon Keeper is simple. It only takes a few minutes to set up, and once you do, your gift renews automatically each month. You can increase, decrease, or pause your support at any time.
To welcome you to the Canyon Keepers circle, we’ll send you a limited-edition Canyon Wren canvas bag to show our gratitude.
>> Click here to become a Canyon Keeper today!
Artwork by Riley Lubich
Join Our Salt Lake City Team!
SUWA is hiring for two positions:
- A Summer Law Clerk in our Salt Lake City Office. Summer law clerks have the opportunity to work with SUWA’s legal team on ongoing litigation and policy advocacy. SUWA accepts applications from rising 2L and 3L students with preference for 3Ls. Learn more and apply by Friday, Feb. 27.
- A Utah Grassroots Organizer in our Salt Lake City Office. The Organizer recruits, trains, and mobilizes volunteers, students, community members, Tribal partners, and allied organizations to protect Utah’s wildlands. This role combines base-building, campaign organizing, rapid response mobilization, coalition leadership, and public education. Learn more and apply by Wednesday, March 4.
