Utah's Representatives Sold Off-Roaders, Hunters, Campers, And Their Constituents Out With Latest Attack on Public Lands

You know the only thing you couldn't do in Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante? Mine or develop it.

Photo by: RideApart.com

Jonathon Klein

By: Jonathon Klein

Jul 17, at 8:42am ET

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"You can virtually not even walk on it."

That's the line that spread throughout the internet like wildfire—apt for how much of Utah is currently on fire, partly due to federal funds being slashed—from President Donald J Trump upon the signing of the Executive Order that reduced Utah's Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments by around 90% or, far more illustrative, by 3 million acres. Surrounded by Utah Governor Spencer Cox, Utah Senators Mike Lee and John Curtis, and a host of other state representatives, they all cheered the President on as he signed the EO, saying, "Almost 3 million acres, going to be well taken care of now."

The idea is to transfer that land to state management, thereby reducing the federal oversight of it and, according to the group above, "Manage it for Utahns, by Utahns."

And groups such as SEMA, the Off-Road Business Association (ORBA), and Blue Ribbon Coalition (BRC) celebrated the EO's signing, saying it "opened up" usage to the public whereas before this it was closed, and supposedly, to off-roading. So, you'd suppose that celebrations were in order. I mean, opening up 3 million acres of public land for everyone to enjoy and utilize in the truest multi-use ethos should be Great News^TM!

There's just one tinie, tiny problem. None of what either Trump, Cox, Lee and Curtis, the representatives that surrounded them, or SEMA, ORBA, and BRC has said about Bears Ears or Grand Staircase-Escalante's land management is true. You could, in fact, hunt, fish, off-road, and "walk on it." You know the only thing prohibited in those places? Mine or develop them.

Who could've guessed?

Bears Ears Off-Road Trails

Photo by: onX

This represents Trump's second time shrinking both monuments, having done so in his first term, only for the boundaries to be reinstated after he was voted out of office—so there may be a glimmer of hope this doesn't stick.

However, this latest attack is one that sees those boundaries shrink by a degree that's truly staggering, as 3 million acres of federally managed public land have been, with the stroke of a pen, shifted to state management—a state whose representatives, including those mentioned above, have led the charge to sell off, develop, and mine every last acre of public land. A position so unpopular it became a poison pill for Trump's own Big Beautiful Bill last year, and the land sales provision, as sponsored by Senator Mike Lee, had to be removed for it to even advance in Congress. Yet, the unpopularity of selling off public lands hasn't stopped these representatives, or the administration, from doing so by other means, and disguising these land grabs as things that are good for the people, with this transfer being one of the biggest yet.

Utah's representatives have made land sales and transfers a priority for decades, even though the state derives so much revenue from the outdoor recreation space, and outpaces anything that mining, oil extraction, or housing development could possibly return. That hasn't stopped them from pursuing that goal, though, as they've launched public ad campaigns to disguise these grabs, and even undertook a failed Supreme Court case that cost Utah taxpayers $14 million and change, all under the guise of telling Utahns that these were for their own good. That Utahns should manage Utah's land. Not the feds.

But I'll remind you, by Utah's own account, the state doesn't have the funds to manage this acreage. In fact, to manage them in any semblance of what they take now, Utah would have to sell off huge parcels of its newly acquired land. Yet, it's the pitching that this is a win for recreationists everywhere that's truly mind-boggling, as the only thing that wasn't allowed in these areas was their development for housing and/or mining and extraction.

Right now, both in Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante, you can hike, camp, fish, hunt, shoot, off-road, climb, and otherwise recreate. For off-roaders specifically, as is the readership of RideApart, off-road and single-track trails crisscross the monuments and surrounding areas, with some of the most extensive trail systems in the West. And you can see this by just opening up onX Hunt or Off-Road and drilling down on each monument and the acreage around them. Thousands of miles of trails, some of which I personally drove and rode earlier this year, and used to take me to some of the most scenic hiking spots around.

They weren't closed to me or you or the rest of the public.

Some of Grand Staircase-Escalante's Off-Road Trails

Photo by: onX

Yet, when President Trump told the press during the EO signing that these places were "for nobody to use, right? Can’t do anything. You can’t go hunting. You can’t go fishing. You can’t do anything. You can virtually not even walk on it," Deputy Interior Secretary Kate MacGregor replied in the affirmative, saying, "That’s exactly right, sir." And yet, that same line is parroted by groups like SEMA, ORBA, and BRC, too, all of which know that it's absolutely not "exactly right."

Again, off-road and hiking trails line the landscape in both monuments, and Utah itself, the state's government, manages hunting and fishing within those original acreages. The rest of the recreational public, barring a few key places, can otherwise do as they please and enjoy those places. And once again, the state of Utah, as well as the federal government, receives a vast financial benefit from these places, as recreation pours money in massive heaping helpings back to them. According to the feds themselves, for every dollar spent on public lands, they get back $4. I'm no accountant or math wizard, but that seems like a pretty damn good return on investment.

The only two things that the federal government does are to foot the bill for their continued existence and management, and limit the further development of these places. Which therein lies the real reason they want these places shrunk, something the administration, as well as Utah's own representatives, haven't been coy about: energy production, mineral extraction, and development.

In every single EO about public lands, the administration has spoken about unleashing American energy independence, the need to mine for critical minerals, or land being used to develop real estate. And while Senator Mike Lee, the champion of all public land sell-offs, has said in the past that his actions were only for the benefit of the American people and affordable housing, when it came time to put his money where his mouth is for that cause, he voted against making housing more affordable for those same Americans. None of this is being done for the betterment of recreational activities. None of this will be for the betterment of the off-roading community. None of this is being done for you or I.

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There is, however, hope. Though the court system moves slowly, these EOs are likely to be challenged legally. Likewise, Americans have spoken repeatedly that we don't want our public lands touched, and the sort of backlash toward AI data centers has also befallen representatives when they try these actions with public lands. Moreover, during Trump's first administration, he and Utah'srepresentatives tried this, shrank both, and then when he was voted out of office, the Biden Administration reinstated the monuments' boundaries. Americans, as you'd expect, like their wild, open places.

But for now, the key takeaway is that the groups supposedly acting in your best interest lied to you. These places were open for off-roading, hunting, fishing, climbing, camping, and other recreational activities. They were open to the American people. You could, in fact, "walk on it." So remember that the next time someone tries to sell you on this being good for you.