KZMU News

The public only has a few more days to weigh in on a proposed lithium mining project near Moab. Lithium helps make electric vehicle batteries, which could help fight climate change. But as our partners at KUER report, there are environmental concerns about the mining itself. Plus, Saturday marks the historic anniversary of the 19th amendment which solidified the right of some women to vote. And later, our radio partners profile new research on goatheads and how PE instructors in our region are learning Native American games to teach in their gym classes.

// Show Notes:

// Photo: The Canyonlands National Park entrance road as seen from the site of one of the proposed lithium exploration sites in an undated photo provided by the Bureau of Land Management.

// KUER: Conservationists are uneasy with a lithium mining plan on public land

https://www.kuer.org/health-science-environment/2023-08-04/conservationists-are-uneasy-with-a-lithium-mining-plan-on-public-land-near-moab

Jared Garcia will leave his position as Moab City Police Chief at the end of September, just fifteen months after he started. In a press release, city leaders praised his efforts to improve officer morale and training as well as build stronger relationships within the community. Garcia will become a deputy executive director at the Utah Department of Corrections. Plus, our radio partners interview a Utah professor who released an emergency briefing on Great Salt Lake. And later, Grand Junction’s mayor will challenge US representative Lauren Boebert in Colorado’s 3rd District.

// Moab City: Garcia to leave Moab Police Dept. in September for new role at Utah Dept. of Corrections

https://moabcity.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=433

// The Times-Independent (Opinion): ‘Thorough, Complete, Professional’ - the MPD

https://www.moabtimes.com/articles/thorough-complete-professional-the-mpd-part-1/

// BYU: Emergency measures needed to rescue Great Salt Lake from ongoing collapse

​​https://pws.byu.edu/great-salt-lake

In response to a rise in anti-trans and anti-drag legislation across the country, LGBTQ+ advocates are doubling down on creating safe spaces. Our radio partners look at one café in our region where people can gather and be themselves. Plus, two bills making their way through Congress could throw out public comments on the Bureau of Land Management's new rule. And later, the United States’ Second Gentleman is helping announce a $44 million investment in making national parks more resilient to climate change.

// Show Notes:

// Photo: LGBTQ+ advocate Kaleb Cook, far left, helps lead an American Sign Language class during the weekly “Queers and Coffee” meetup at the Bluebird Café in Glenwood Springs. Eleanor Bennett / Aspen Public Radio

// Aspen Public Radio: LGBTQ+ advocates ‘double down’ on creating safe spaces amid rise in discrimination

https://www.aspenpublicradio.org/community/2023-08-10/lgbtq-advocates-double-down-on-creating-safe-spaces-amid-rise-in-discrimination

// KHOL: ‘We must act now’: Second gentleman talks climate resilience in the Tetons

https://891khol.org/we-must-act-now-the-second-gentleman-talks-climate-resilience-in-the-tetons/

At last weekend's demolition derby in Durango, Colorado, all of the drivers were men, except for one, and she was 79 years old. Mary Tate came to the demolition derby last year and realized she "really wanted to hit somebody." Her neighbor, longtime demolition derby driver Ralph Brawley, fixed up a car for her and made her dream come true.

//Photo: Cars crashed into the cement barrier during the demolition derby in Durango, Colorado, on August 12. Photo by Emily Arntsen

Today we hear from Kaya Williams of Aspen Public Radio about artist Patrick Kikut, who is capturing scenes of drying reservoirs and changing rivers across the West with the hopes of communicating the region's dire water shortage. We also hear from Chris Clements of KSJD about one advocate's attempts to help the Indigenous victims of fraudulent sober living facilities return home. We end the show with a story from Caroline Llanes of Aspen Public Radio about the benefits of farm animals in psychiatric therapy.

//Photo: A painting by artist Patrick Kikut depicts the arid environment around a dwindling reservoir. Courtesy of Kaya Williams / Aspen Public Radio

On Friday, a lawsuit that challenged President Biden's decision to restore the original size of Bears Ears National Monument and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument was dismissed by a federal judge. The State of Utah has already filed an appeal, claiming the president abused his powers under the Antiquities Act.

//Photo: Bears Ears National Monument expanded by over a million acres on Friday after President Biden restored the original boundaries. Photo by the Bureau of Land Management via Flickr.

It’s Regional Roundup Monday! Today we feature the biweekly production of the Rocky Mountain Radio Coalition, of which KZMU is a proud member. On the latest episode: school stories. We hear a first-person account on high school academic pressure and a story about an arts community banding together to put on a school play. Plus, the family of a teen killed in Parkland, Florida is touring the country with an anti-gun violence message.

On Tuesday, City Council members reviewed a draft of Moab's sustainability plan, which will be completed in December. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions from transportation in town is one of the main goals. We also hear from our partners at KJZZ about a new national monument that will protect sacred Indigenous sites around the Grand Canyon. Plus, the Weekly News Reel! Doug McMurdo of the Times-Independent discusses prioritizing mental health at EMS, a hiker’s death at Arches National Park, and financing Kane Creek Boulevard’s reconstruction. Alison Harford of the Moab Sun News explores lithium mining in southeastern Utah and profiles an eye surgeon flying his personal plane to serve patients in Moab.

//Show Notes:

//Photo: Moab's sustainability plan proposes reducing the amount of cars driven in town. Photo by Ken Lund via Flickr.

//Moab City Council Meeting 8.8.2023

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jK0fYCb8bFk

//Weekly News Reel Mentions:

// How Grand County EMS prioritizes mental health

https://www.moabtimes.com/articles/how-grand-county-ems-prioritizes-mental-health/

// Body of missing hiker found

https://www.moabtimes.com/articles/body-of-missing-hiker-found/

// City agrees to parameters in $4.5M sales tax bond for Kane Creek Boulevard reconstruction

https://www.moabtimes.com/articles/city-agrees-to-parameters-in-4-5m-sales-tax-bond-for-kane-creek-boulevard-reconstruction/

// What to know about the proposed lithium exploration project off 313

https://moabsunnews.com/2023/08/10/what-to-know-about-the-proposed-lithium-exploration-project-off-313-moab/

// MRH eye surgeon flies personal plane to serve Moab

https://moabsunnews.com/2023/08/10/mrh-eye-surgeon-flies-personal-plane-to-serve-moab/

Amid the mounting pressures of climate change and habitat loss, protected areas like national parks and monuments can be a refuge for wildlife…including the very tiniest. Curious folks from around the region came together during the first annual Bears Ears Butterfly Count. Organizers say these citizen science events help document diverse species and can inspire new advocates for their conservation. Today on the news, we get up close with a few of these amazing, multi-colored winged creatures of the Bears Ears region. 

// Photo: A juniper hairstreak butterfly found in Bears Ears National Monument. Researchers have documented 130 species of butterflies in southeastern Utah.

// More photos: https://www.kzmu.org/up-close-with-the-butterflies-of-bears-ears/?fbclid=IwAR2CYNVlr_Av3N6honnPq_Nb9KRxA2y-mEbf1tfu0jcPxBxczI0eLQVPozM

On Tuesday, the Utah Supreme Court heard arguments on whether to continue blocking the state’s abortion ban. Abortions are still legal in Utah up to 18 weeks of pregnancy, but if the state’s high court finds that the injunction on the state’s abortion ban is unconstitutional, abortions will become illegal in the state.

//Photo: Attorneys representing the state of Utah and Planned Parenthood presented arguments at the State Capitol Building on Tuesday on whether to continue allowing abortions in Utah. Photo by Andrew Smith via Flickr.

//Show Notes:

//Utah Abortion Options

https://www.plannedparenthood.org/planned-parenthood-utah/utah-patients/pregnancy-options/abortion?utm_source=google_cpc&utm_medium=ad_grant&utm_campaign=learn_abortion&gad=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw8symBhAqEiwAaTA__L71bDTawOJzI_shl73gWCWCU0SWpWcVgp-7xK-SK9qeZNRJmxdT7hoCk1UQAvD_BwE