Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities


** New management plan for Grand Staircase emphasizes conservation
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Wednesday, September 4, 2024
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument contains 1.9 million acres of public land in southern Utah; Wolfgang Staudt/Wikimedia Commons ([link removed])

The Bureau of Land Management has released a proposed management plan for Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument that emphasizes conservation ([link removed]) . The BLM is required to develop a monument management plan by President Joe Biden's restoration of the monument to its original size in October 2021 ([link removed]) , following former President Donald Trump's illegal reduction of the monument in 2017 ([link removed]) .

The preferred alternative in the final environmental impact statement ([link removed]) would break the national monument into four management zones: the front country zone, passage zone, outback zone, and primitive zone. The outback zone would limit development ([link removed]) across 558,700 acres while allowing motorized travel on designated routes. The primitive zone would provide an “undeveloped, primitive, and self-directed visitor experience without motorized or mechanized recreational access" on over 1.2 million acres ([link removed]) .

The plan would also establish a new “area of critical environmental concern,” or ACEC, covering 54,000 acres in an area that “contains the highest density of cultural sites” within the monument. It also emphasizes ([link removed]) fostering “Tribal involvement in the land use planning process."

Wilderness Act turns 60

President Lyndon Johnson signed the Wilderness Act ([link removed]) into law 60 years ago this week. The law defines wilderness as a place where, “in contrast with those areas where man and his works dominate the landscape … the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain.”

Since its passage, Congress has used the Wilderness Act to designate around 750 ([link removed]) wilderness areas in the United States that protect 111 million acres ([link removed]) under the highest level of public land protection.

The Biden administration celebrated the beginning of Wilderness Month with a proclamation ([link removed]) touting the President's conservation achievements, including the conservation of more than 41 million acres of U.S. lands and waters.


** Quick hits
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Hiker deaths in Grand Canyon rise amid extreme weather linked to climate crisis

The Guardian ([link removed])

Tribal leaders and politicians call for national monument in Medicine Lake Highlands

Jefferson Public Radio ([link removed])

Nevada solar-plus-storage project gets greenlight to use public land

Canary Media ([link removed])

Key legislator says BLM decision paves way for Kelly land sale

Jackson Hole News & Guide ([link removed])

What Denali’s road closure means for its wildlife

High Country News ([link removed])

Opinion: As wildfire risk rises in the West, the backcountry becomes more dangerous for hikers and backpackers

Denver Post ([link removed])

Construction of Hermosa Mine underway after Arizona OKs clean air permit

Arizona Republic ([link removed])

Issues arise amongst Colorado's efforts to manage oil and gas drilling

KUNC ([link removed])


** Quote of the day
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” For all of its blind spots and shortcomings and idiosyncrasies, the Wilderness Act remains as relevant as ever. If anything, the long reach of civilization makes the wilderness ideal even more valuable than when the act was written. On its 60th birthday, the Wilderness Act is important not despite the fact that we live on a garden planet—but because of it.”

—Jason Mark, Sierra Magazine ([link removed])


** Picture This
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@usinterior ([link removed])
Wilderness is wild. It offers visitors a place to seek relaxation, adventure and solitude.

They protect lush forests, arid deserts, snow-capped peaks, dank swamps and sandy beaches. Yet, the reasons Americans love wilderness are even more diverse than the areas themselves.

Happy 60th Birthday to the Wilderness Act of 1964. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed this Act into law “...for the permanent good of the whole people.”

Photo at Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve by Matt Meisenheimer

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