Trump Administration Announces Plan to Rescind Public Lands Rule
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Earlier this month, the Department of the Interior announced its plan to rescind the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Public Lands Rule. Among other things, the Rule reiterates that conservation is a key component of the BLM’s multiple-use mission, on par with grazing, mining, and energy production. SUWA and other conservation groups are currently engaged in litigation to defend the Rule from challenges brought by Republican-led states (including Utah) and industry groups in several federal district courts around the country.
Shortly before the Rule was finalized under the Biden administration in 2023, the Salt Lake Tribune editorial board called it a “common-sense solution,” stating that the only thing wrong with it was that “it wasn’t written 47 years ago” when the Federal Land Policy and Management Act was passed into law. Ninety-two percent of the public comments received by the BLM supported the Rule.
“The Public Lands Rule reiterates that the BLM has to put conservation on equal footing with other uses and lays out a framework for the agency to restore degraded landscapes and protect intact public lands for current and future generations,” said SUWA Legal Director Steve Bloch. “Americans and Utahns widely supported the Rule and SUWA will mobilize our members and supporters to oppose the Trump administration’s shortsighted effort to undo it.”
>> Read our full statement and recent coverage by Rocky Mountain Community Radio.
Roadless Rule Under Attack
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In another assault on environmental protections and public lands from the Trump administration, the U.S. Forest Service is proposing to repeal the Roadless Area Conservation Rule or “Roadless Rule.” Since 2001, it has protected about 4 million acres of intact and old-growth forests in Utah from industrial development, logging, and road building.
Nationwide, the proposed gutting of the Roadless Rule jeopardizes nearly 45 million acres of roadless areas managed by the U.S. Forest Service from Maine to California, Alaska to Florida. These lands are open and free for public use and enjoyment; they protect cultural sites important to Native American tribes as well as vital watersheds that provide clean drinking water to local communities. They are also home to countless plant and animal species, and they mitigate climate change by storing carbon.
In recent weeks, thousands of you submitted comments to the Forest Service through our online action portal (thank you!). The Federal Register shows that the agency received a total of 625,737 comments (likely including those submitted by conservation organizations, outdoor recreation and sporting communities, tribal leaders, and other allies). When the comment period closed last Friday, an initial analysis by the Center for Western Priorities found that more than 99 percent of the comments submitted oppose the Trump administration’s plan to rescind the Roadless Rule.
>> Read more about the proposed Roadless Rule repeal and its potential impact on Utah forests
Photo © Tim Peterson
National Wilderness Coalition Convenes in DC
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Last week, SUWA staff and board members participated in National Wilderness Week, an annual event put on by the National Wilderness Coalition (NWC), of which SUWA is a proud founding member. Comprised of local, statewide, national, and Indigenous organizations that believe preserving and protecting wilderness and public lands is essential, the coalition gathered in Washington, DC to:
- Build knowledge and skills as wilderness advocates.
- Talk to congressional offices and administration or agency staff about the importance of wilderness.
- Create connections and community necessary to sustain a vibrant and diverse wilderness movement.
In total, coalition members had over 100 conversations with congressional offices, both thanking long-time supporters and recruiting new champions. The coalition’s Indigenous Committee, which includes SUWA Board Member Tara Benally, hosted a visibility event outside the U.S. Capitol which you can watch here. The NWC and The Wild Idea podcast also hosted a live podcast taping with Senator Tina Smith (D-MN), a sponsor of America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act. The episode, “You Can’t Underestimate the Power of Place,” is worth a listen for anyone who believes in public lands and wilderness!
Photo © National Wilderness Coalition
Community, Culture, and Immersive Experiences Fire Up New Redrock Activists
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In late August, more than 40 diverse and passionate people from across the country attended our annual Grassroots Leader Retreat in Boulder, Utah to learn from each other, build advocacy skills, and draw inspiration from the landscape itself. For many, it was their first time in Utah—and for some, the chance to travel there wouldn’t have been possible otherwise.
Attendees didn’t just take in the sweeping vistas around them; they felt the texture of sandstone and ancient fossils, smelled the sharp fragrance of desert sage, and even submerged themselves beneath the cool waters of Calf Creek Falls in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. At camp, hands-on breakout sessions taught them how to organize support for wilderness in their own communities and why their voices are so vital to this movement.
A few weeks later, SUWA was proud to celebrate the deep connections between community, culture, and conservation during Latino Conservation Week (Sept. 13-21). In partnership with Salt Lake Community College’s Native Indigenous Student Union, we co-hosted a vibrant festival at the Taylorsville campus that uplifted Latino, BIPOC, and Indigenous voices in environmental stewardship while raising funds for local BIPOC-led environmental nonprofits.
We also joined families from Salt Lake City and beyond for a trip to the desert, where many experienced Utah’s redrock wilderness for the first time. Together, we explored the landscape, discussed the importance of public lands and the Colorado River, and even pitched in on stewardship work. Both events were a powerful reminder that conservation is strongest when it is rooted in community and a shared love for the land.
Want to get more involved in the movement? Visit our Volunteer Now page or reach out to a regional organizer for more information.
Photo © SUWA
Now Hiring: Finance Director Based in Salt Lake City
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SUWA seeks a Finance Director to join our senior leadership team in Salt Lake City and steward the financial, operational, and administrative functions of the organization. Applicants should have a minimum of eight years of progressive finance or accounting experience, including at least three years in a leadership role managing financial operations for an organization of comparable size or complexity. If you’re qualified and would like to help protect the redrock, we hope you’ll apply!
The application deadline for this full-time position is October 13, 2025. Learn more at suwa.org/careers or see our recent blog post (and share with others who may be interested).
