Trump Administration Begins Attacks on National Monuments
This past weekend, President Trump indicated he plans to rescind the Chuckwalla and Sáttítla Highlands National Monuments in California, which were designated by President Biden in January. Though major news outlets received confirmation that the administration plans to attempt to undo protections for the national monuments, no executive order has been issued and no additional information is available. Confusion and a lack of details, hallmarks of the Trump administration, continue.
“The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the local communities, organizations, and Tribal Nations who supported the establishment of Chuckwalla and Sáttítla Highlands National Monuments,” said SUWA Legal Director Steve Bloch. “Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears National Monuments have endured similar attacks, making us all too familiar with the chaos and uncertainty caused by Trump’s illegal actions. Our nation’s remarkable public lands are held in trust for all Americans, regardless of income or background; they are not items on a balance sheet to be sold off to the highest bidder. Protected public lands are worth fighting for and we are confident these attacks will not be successful.”
Chuckwalla, near Joshua Tree National Park, protects over 600,000 acres of Bureau of Land Management public land and “. . . spans across the transitional zone where the Sonoran and Mojave Deserts come together, offering stunning landscapes, rich biodiversity, and unique geological features.” Sáttítla Highlands, in Northern California, protects over 200,000 acres of national forest land “. . . and provides protection to tribal ancestral homelands, historic and scientific treasures, rare flora and fauna, and the headwaters of vital sources of water.”
Photo: Chuckwalla National Monument (BLM photo)
Motorized Groups Sue Over San Rafael Swell Travel Plan
Earlier this month, the Idaho-based BlueRibbon Coalition and others sued the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) over the recently finalized San Rafael Swell Travel Management Plan, The planning area encompasses roughly 1,150,000 acres of BLM-managed lands, including the San Rafael Swell Recreation Area and 663,000 acres of wilderness designated in 2019 as part of the John D. Dingell Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act.
A much-loved backcountry area, the Swell is home to irreplaceable cultural and historic resources, important wildlife habitat, and outstanding recreation opportunities. Though the BLM’s disappointing final travel plan (released on the last day of 2024) designated nearly 1,500 miles of motorized routes in the area, it fortunately did not open numerous overgrown/nonexistent routes and user-created trails running through stream corridors, wash bottoms, and sensitive cultural sites. Off-road vehicle groups want to change that.
“The motorized recreation groups filing this lawsuit are bound and determined to make Utah’s remarkable San Rafael Swell nothing more than a playground for off-road vehicles and side-by-sides, a place where it’s impossible to find peace and quiet. We’re not going to stand by and let that happen,” said SUWA Staff Attorney Laura Peterson. SUWA has moved to intervene in the lawsuit.
>> Read our full press statement
Photo © Ray Bloxham/SUWA
Mass Firings Throw Federal Workforce into Disarray
Last month the Elon Musk-led Office of Personnel Management began its mass firing campaign affecting more than 24,000 federal workers, including roughly 2,000 at the Interior Department, over 3,000 at the U.S. Forest Service, and hundreds at the Environmental Protection Agency. Lawsuits quickly followed, and last week two federal judges ordered the reinstatement of thousands of employees across 18 government agencies—rulings that have already been appealed by the Trump administration.
The federal firings have left a wake of confusion and uncertainty for public servants who, among other things, manage our nation’s public lands, enforce air and water quality standards, and keep essential services running.
SUWA issued the following statement on February 23rd:
There are tens of thousands of federal workers in Utah, including thousands who work for federal agencies like the Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, United States Forest Service, United States Geological Survey, and United States Fish and Wildlife Service. These career staff—who live and work in both rural and urban parts of our state—have dedicated their lives to a mission of service on behalf of the common good: America’s federal public lands.
It is heartbreaking to see these federal workers treated so disrespectfully. It’s also completely unacceptable that Utah’s congressional delegation and state elected leaders are either standing idly by or, worse, cheering on Musk’s threats and intimidation tactics. These federal workers are our friends and neighbors; they have our support and respect at this critical time.
Photo © Geoff Livingston (Wikimedia Commons)
Land Exchange Finalized for Protected Areas in San Rafael Swell
In February, an agreement was finalized between the federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Utah Trust Lands Administration (TLA) that swaps state land holdings in recently protected areas of the San Rafael Swell for federal lands elsewhere in the state. The Dingell Act Land Exchange, as it’s known, was a requirement of the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act of 2019 (Dingell Act).
The Dingell Act designated 663,000 acres of BLM-managed wilderness in Utah’s Emery County, established the San Rafael Swell Recreation Area, added 63 miles of the Green River to the National Wild and Scenic River System, and designated the John Wesley Powell National Conservation Area and Jurassic National Monument. It also established a process for exchanging TLA lands out of designated wilderness and the 217,000-acre recreation area.
“The Dingell Act Land Exchange will result in stronger protections for the outstanding San Rafael Swell in southern Utah,” said SUWA DC Director Travis Hammill. “It ensures the long-term protection of designated wilderness areas in Emery County—federal public lands that will no longer be at risk from the threat of development and inconsistent management that comes with a checkerboard pattern of state and federal land ownership.”
>> Read our full press statement
Photo © Steve Greenwood
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Photo © Peter Gatch