Earlier this summer we asked you to take action to protect some of southeast Utah’s most remote and ecologically sensitive landscapes from a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) proposal to authorize ten backcountry airstrips in the Moab and Monticello areas. Despite thousands of comments critiquing the proposal, the BLM approved all ten airstrips. SUWA appealed that decision, and on August 6, the agency withdrew its proposal in response to the appeal. Bafflingly, less than two weeks later, it reissued a nearly identical one.

The BLM is accepting public comments through this Thursday, September 3. Please tell the agency to follow the law, heed public input, and protect sensitive wild landscapes.

Several of the proposed airstrips sit within BLM-identified wilderness-quality lands or directly adjacent to Bears Ears National Monument and Canyonlands National Park. Others are within breeding and nesting habitat for bighorn, pronghorn, burrowing owls, and other raptors. The BLM acknowledges that aircraft noise and visual intrusions would degrade solitude and natural soundscapes in these areas. Research also shows that noise and increased traffic from motorized recreation, including aircraft, can displace wildlife and reduce reproduction and survival.

SUWA—and commenters like you—proposed a more balanced alternative: authorize four of the airstrips while rejecting six in the most environmentally sensitive locations: Spring Canyon, Big Flat, Castle Creek, Nokai Dome, Piute, and Red Canyon. But in its new environmental assessment, the agency discards this reasonable alternative.

The BLM never officially designated use of these airstrips, so any recent or current use is unauthorized. Most of the more remote airstrips show no signs of recent use and are covered by native vegetation, making them difficult or impossible to identify on the ground. Formally opening them for aircraft use—and maintaining them over time—would require heavy equipment to remove established sagebrush, rabbitbrush, juniper, and other native vegetation.

Rather than adequately addressing the public’s concerns, the agency has again advanced an ill-conceived proposal that will serve a few private planes at the expense of wildlife, cultural landscapes, and overall visitor experience.

Remember, comments are due by September 3. Please take advantage of this short comment window and tell the BLM that southern Utah’s remote canyon country, wildlife, and cultural landscapes deserve better.