General guidelines:

• Raise your hand to talk. Be persistent.
• When you get your chance, be firm in your beliefs yet be respectful of his/her position as a sitting U.S. Representative or Senator. Stay calm when you speak.
• Mention that this won’t be the last time you attend one of these events, and that you’ll be following his/her actions closely.
• Ask a friend to videotape your question and the representative’s answer. Get good quality videotape of all public lands questions and answers. Follow up by posting video to your Facebook page and share with SUWA (attn: Dave Pacheco).

Suggested questions/comments (focus on one topic only, let someone else cover the others)

• Honor Tribes. Keep your hands off Bears Ears. Explain why the monument is important to you and emphasize the historic opportunity to honor Native Americans and heal past injustices.
• Don’t remove law enforcement duties from BLM and Forest Service staff–maintain their funding and responsibilities.
• Keep ownership AND management of our public lands in federal hands. Decentralized, parochial state policy in the East created the need for consistent national environmental standards in the first place. Wildlife, clean air, and clean water don’t recognize state political boundaries.
• The combined universities in Utah concluded that the financial burden of turning over management of federal public lands to the state would only be possible through the sale and development of those lands. Utahns treasure their public lands and do NOT want them sold or developed.
• Tell him/her to be a hero. Seek real compromise between Utahns on any public lands legislation affecting our state. Don’t simply let county governments control the fate of America’s public lands.

Thanks for making your voice heard!