We’re taking a look back at 2022, the challenges we faced, the coalitions we helped build, and lands we protected. We’ll also take this opportunity to thank you, our steadfast members and followers. Our thanks goes way beyond words that you can read or hear. In 2023, SUWA celebrates its 40th anniversary. As it has been since those early years in the 1980s, our members and supporters are the heart of the movement to Protect Wild Utah. And as the day-to-day work to protect wild redrock country grinds along slowly, sure progress is being made, step-by-hard-earned-step, and we’re taking the opportunity to focus on that progress in this episode.

Wild Utah is made possible by the contributing members of SUWA. Thank you for your support!

Become a SUWA member today and support the Wild Utah Podcast

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Theme music is by Haley Noel Austin, with interlude music by Larry Pattis.

Dave Pacheco is the host of Wild Utah.

Post studio production and editing is by Laura Borichevsky.

Bears Ears National Monument has been in the news for years due to its status as a national monument being in flux– and as it finally enters its official planning process, we’re looking to Indigenous leaders to tell us what co-management (and the change in agency culture it could take to make that happen successfully) really mean.

A note: It’s at this stage of the planning process that the Bureau of Land Management receives input from the public to prioritize issues they should focus on. The current open comment period (which ends October 31st) is your golden opportunity to help shape the future of the Bears Ears National Monument and echo sentiments put forward by the Indigenous voices leading the way. 

Joining us for this essential conversation about the role of Indigenous knowledge and leadership for Bears Ears National Monument and beyond is Regina Lopez-Whiteskunk, whom we’re honored to have on the show. Regina is a fierce advocate for nature who has served as a member of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribal Council. She’s a former co-chair of the Bears Ears Inter-tribal Coalition and helped lead the effort that resulted in the Bears Ears being designated as a national monument. She has been appointed by Department of Interior Secretary Haaland to serve as the Chair of the current Bears Ears National Monument Advisory Committee, and she also serves on SUWA’s board of directors.

The BLM is accepting comments until 10/31 as part of the scoping process. This is your chance to tell the BLM what issues are important for them to consider as they develop a draft management plan.

Comment Today!

Wild Utah is made possible by the contributing members of SUWA. Thank you for your support!

Become a SUWA member today and support the Wild Utah Podcast

wildutah.info/Stitcher

wildutah.info/Apple

wildutah.info/Spotify

Theme music is by Haley Noel Austin, with interlude music by Larry Pattis.

Dave Pacheco is the host of Wild Utah.

Post studio production and editing is by Laura Borichevsky.

TAKE ACTION TO SAVE LABYRINTH CANYON: Leave a comment by 10/7!⁠

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is accepting comments on a draft travel management plan for the iconic Labyrinth Canyon and Gemini Bridges area outside of Moab. The plan will determine where off-road vehicle (ORV) use is allowed in this remarkable landscape for decades to come, so public input is extremely important. ⁠

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Home to irreplaceable cultural and historic resources, critical wildlife habitat, and unmatched quiet recreational opportunities, the Labyrinth Canyon and Gemini Bridges region is a magnificent area of Utah’s backcountry. The BLM’s travel plan will have a long-lasting impact on the future of this region by determining where ORVs will be able to travel and what areas will be managed for the protection of wildlife, solitude, cultural values and non-motorized recreation.⁠

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Labyrinth Canyon is a gem of the American West, where the placid Green River flows for more than 40 miles past towering canyon walls. This stretch of river provides an unparalleled multi-day wilderness experience for boaters of all ages and experience levels. It is also a designated Wild and Scenic River, noted for its outstanding recreational, scenic, ecological, and cultural values. ⁠

You can act now by leaving a comment with the BLM by October 7th. It only takes minutes and your voice truly matters on these issues. Head to suwa.org/travelplans where we’ve made it easy to get started, and thank you for taking action.

What’s “GSENM RMP”, anyway? It’s shorthand for the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Resource Management Plan. Originally proclaimed by President Clinton in 1996, the almost two million acre monument was slashed in half under former President Trump in 2017. It’s been close to a year since President Biden restored the monument to its original boundaries, and it’s time for his administration to re-write the Trump-era plan and re-emphasize scientific discovery and conservation as the primary purpose of the monument. That also means that it’s time for you to get involved!

Our guest is SUWA Wildlands Attorney Kya Marienfeld, who is heading up SUWA’s official comments about Grand Stairacse-Escalante to the BLM. In non-legal terms, she explains the process for monument planning and helps us understand how to effectively engage in making the final plan a guiding document we can all be proud of. 

Take Action After this Episode:

Have a Say in the Future of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument!

Leave your public comment to the Bureau of Land Management by 9/27.

Thank you to our show supporters!

Wild Utah is made possible by the contributing members of SUWA. Thank you for your support!

Become a SUWA member today and support the Wild Utah Podcast

Subscribe to Wild Utah on your favorite podcast app!

wildutah.info/Stitcher

wildutah.info/Apple

wildutah.info/Spotify

Theme music is by Haley Noel Austin, with interlude music by Larry Pattis.

Dave Pacheco is the host of Wild Utah.

Post studio production and editing is by Laura Borichevsky.

Terri Martin, Organizer for the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, has lived a life in service to Utah’s wild desert landscapes. In this bonus episode of the Bristlecone Firesides podcast, Terri tells us about the spiritual and ecological value of Utah’s wilderness and what she has learned over the decades of working with SUWA and other organizations that defend sacred landscapes.

Take Action After this Episode:

Subscribe to the Bristlecone Firesides podcast!

Resources:

Act now with SUWA

Catch up on Season One

Utah Diné Bikéyah

Thank you to our show supporters!

Wild Utah and Bristlecone Firesides are made possible by the contributing members of SUWA. Thank you for your support!

Become a SUWA member today and support the Bristlecone Firesides Podcast

Where does wilderness show up in literature and spirituality? We’re proud to share 20 minutes of the Bristlecone Firesides podcast to provide some answers to this question. 

Great nature writers such as John Muir, Henry David Thoreau, and Aldo Leopold have written extensively that wilderness contains the salvation of mankind. Wilderness is also a recurring spiritual theme in sacred texts throughout the world. What is this Wilderness and why is it crucial to our spiritual growth? What can we learn about ourselves from understanding this Wildness? Join co-hosts Madison Daniels and Abigail Pinegar to dig in with this engaging conversation that gets to the heart of what draws some individuals to wilderness conservation.

Take Action After this Episode:

Subscribe to the Bristlecone Firesides podcast!

Resources:

Act now with SUWA

Catch up on Season One

30×30 Campaign

The Wilderness Act

How to Do Nothing by Jenny Odell

From Wild Man to Wise Man by Richard Rohr

Thank you to our show supporters!

Wild Utah and Bristlecone Firesides are made possible by the contributing members of SUWA. Thank you for your support!

Become a SUWA member today and support the Bristlecone Firesides Podcast

Do two things this summer to feel good: get out into redrock wilderness for a visit, and get involved in demanding respect for la tierra. Carlos Prado (@Outdoorlos) joins us to give some tips. https://www.instagram.com/outdoorlos/

For more information: https://suwa.org/utah-silvestre/

You can also text the word UTAH SILVESTRE to 52886 to receive occasional text notifications about redrock wilderness en español and Latinx herencia y querencia of our public lands.

Host: Olivia Juarez

Production: Laura Borichevsky

Music: Kevin MacLeod

Haga dos cosas este verano para sentirse bien: visita a tierra salvaje de roca roja, e involúcrese en exigir respeto por la tierra. Carlos Prado (@Outdoorlos) se une a nosotras para dar consejos. 

Para más información: https://suwa.org/utah-silvestre/

Envíe un mensaje de texto con la palabra UTAH SILVESTRE al 52886 para recibir notificaciones de texto ocasionales sobre la Utah silvestre en español y herencia latina y querencia de nuestras tierras públicas.

Presentador de podcasts: Amy Dominguez

Producción: PROArtes Mexico

Música: Kevin MacLeod

Latinos have called Utah home since before our gente were called Latino. We speak with University of Utah Professor Armando Solórzano to learn about the long history. 

https://collections.lib.utah.edu/details?id=1179313&page=2&facet_setname_s=dha_latino

For more information: https://suwa.org/utah-silvestre/

You can also text the word UTAH SILVESTRE to 52886 to receive occasional text notifications about redrock wilderness en español and Latinx herencia y querencia of our public lands.

Host: Olivia Juarez

Production: Laura Borichevsky

Music: Kevin MacLeod

Latinos han llamado Utah a la patria antes de que nuestra gente fuera llamada latina. Hablamos con el Profesor Armando Solórzano de la Universidad de Utah para conocer la historia larga. https://collections.lib.utah.edu/details?id=1179313&page=2&facet_setname_s=dha_latino

Para más información: https://suwa.org/utah-silvestre/

Envíe un mensaje de texto con la palabra UTAH SILVESTRE al 52886 para recibir notificaciones de texto ocasionales sobre la Utah silvestre en español y herencia latina y querencia de nuestras tierras públicas.

Presentador de podcasts: Amy Dominguez

Producción: PROArtes Mexico

Música: Kevin MacLeod y opo