Utah Public Lands Policy Coordinating Office

07/14/2026

We welcome the new federal action that modifies the boundaries of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments. The modifications will allow for better management, preservation, and public access to both monuments for generations to come.

We will continue to work with federal agencies, tribal governments, and local communities to ensure responsible stewardship of these remarkable landscapes.

🔗Learn more about this federal action at publiclands.utah.gov/national-monuments

07/07/2026

We would like to join Attorney General Brown in expressing our gratitude for Kathy Davis for her years of dedicated service promoting the principles of multiple use and sustained yield on Utah's public lands.

Thank you, Kathy!

Kathy Davis joined the Office of the Utah Attorney General in 2011. She leaves as Section Director of the Public Lands Section, with 14 years of consequential work behind her.

Her cases read like a map of Utah's most contested legal terrain: R.S. 2477 rights-of-way, federal overreach in natural resource management, tribal water and title disputes, and years of litigation defending Utah's authority over its own lands across federal district courts, circuit courts, and administrative venues.

She has practiced law since 1983. That depth of experience shaped this office and the cases it won.

Kathy also served on the Utah Supreme Court's Continuing Education Committee and the Salt Lake City Arts Council. In retirement, she plans to spend considerably more time observing and reporting data on geysers at Yellowstone National Park.

The Office of the Utah Attorney General thanks Kathy for her service. Utah's public lands are better defended because of her work.

06/25/2026

The State of Utah worked with the administration to affirm access to your public lands by rescinding two 70s-era executive orders.

We focused on rescinding the vague “minimization criteria” language to clarify that roads to our public lands can remain open.

Rather than focusing exclusively on one specific use, we seek to balance and accommodate a variety of activities, including conservation, timber production, recreation, wildlife habitat preservation, grazing, water resource management, among other uses.

Utah has an established track record of managing public lands for multiple uses and objectives, whether it be the state park system, wildlife management areas, or wildland fire education and management.

Want more details on minimization criteria and why it matters? Read each photo for more info.

06/24/2026

Do you recreate in the Trail Canyon area?

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is seeking public comment on proposed changes to motorized vehicle routes. The plan would designate 469 miles of existing routes as open, limited, or closed for off-highway vehicle use across 182,766 acres of BLM-managed public lands.

📅Deadline: July 22, 2026
🔗Take Action: Use our Comment Letter Generator to help you prepare your substantive comment to submit to the BLM.

Trail Canyon Comment Letter Generator: https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/8751b12d63134db690bcaf4ee4d48ad6
Trail Canyon Project Page: https://eplanning.blm.gov/Project-Home/?id=bb8779e1-3464-f111-a824-001dd8084607

06/24/2026

Do you recreate in the Dinosaur North area?

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is seeking public comment on proposed changes to motorized vehicle routes. The plan would designate approximately 700 miles of existing routes as open, limited, or closed for off-highway vehicle use across 223,616 acres of BLM-managed public lands.

📅Deadline: July 22, 2026
🔗Take Action: Use our Comment Letter Generator to help you prepare your substantive comment to submit to the BLM.

Dinosaur North Comment Letter Generator: https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/299f02a7560043a2bb2acff4da1e9271
Dinosaur North Project Page: https://eplanning.blm.gov/Project-Home/?id=9822EAB3-CB65-F111-A824-001DD802E1E9

06/09/2026

The State of Utah and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) have signed a cooperative agreement to cooperatively enhance the management of the San Rafael Swell Recreation Area.

This agreement is supported by the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act (Dingell Act), established March 2019.

The Dingell Act allows for the Secretary of the Interior to enter into a cooperative agreement with the State to provide for protection, management, and maintenance of the San Rafael Swell Recreation Area.

🔗Read the full agreement here:https://naturalresources.utah.gov/wp-content/uploads/20260608140812059.pdf

05/18/2026

Garfield County and the State of Utah have been working to ensure access and safety on Hole-in-the-Rock Road in Southern Utah.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has concluded that Garfield County’s proposal to chip-seal approximately 10 miles of the road “is reasonable and necessary, and, thus, within the scope of the County’s right-of-way.”

The chip-seal project, which commenced today, is an example of the success of the State’s larger R.S. 2477 effort.

05/14/2026

Ever wonder how your favorite trails stay clear and accessible? 🌲🥾

Behind every epic hike, mountain bike ride, or scenic nature walk is a dedicated Trail Crew working hard to maintain our trails.

Managing our public lands isn’t a one-agency job. It takes massive collaboration between government agencies, land management partners, state and national parks, and local trail groups. Together, these crews are out there moving boulders, clearing fallen trees, and managing erosion.

When we share the responsibility of stewardship, we ensure that our public lands remain accessible and sustainable for everyone today and for generations to come.

Utah Division of Outdoor Recreation

05/08/2026

Do you recreate in the San Rafael Swell and San Rafael Desert?

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is seeking public comment on proposed changes to motorized vehicle routes. Specifically, they are reassessing whether certain routes currently closed should be changed to open or limited.

The San Rafael area is one of Utah’s most popular public land recreation areas. If you would like to make your voice heard, get involved and submit a public comment!

📅Deadline: June 8, 2026
🔗Take Action: Use our Comment Letter Generator to help you prepare your substantive comment to submit to the BLM.

San Rafael Swell Comment Letter Generator: https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/925905134b4c45b9b9e7262f038af49a

San Rafael Desert Comment Letter Generator: https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/f333dac967fa46dda1dc9e2dccf65c21

05/06/2026

We would like to thank the Public Lands Section at the Office of the Attorney General for getting this vital right-of-way project across the finish line. 👏 👏 👏

Utah's roads. Federal roadblocks.

For years, the federal government claimed it owned rights to Sand Dunes Road near Zion—a road Utah has maintained and used since the 1970s. That claim blocked the state from upgrading it.

Then the Park Service closed the Zion-Mt Carmel Tunnel to RVs and tour buses. Suddenly, Sand Dunes Road became the alternative route. But Utah still couldn't legally fix it because of that federal claim.

Today, the federal government admitted it had no claim at all.

A federal court confirmed the road belongs to Utah's historic right-of-way. The case is closed. No trial. No more delays.

What happens next: Utah and the counties can now properly maintain Sand Dunes Road—keeping oversize vehicles safe and tourists moving.

This is one of many old roads where federal ambiguity has clouded Utah's authority. The Office of the Utah Attorney General is clearing these up, one highway at a time.