If you recreate in Utah, if you value outdoor access, if you camp, ski, climb, hunt, fish, hike, bike, paddle, or ohv in our beautiful state — you need to pay attention to the elections. Decisions about our public lands are made by our elected officials, and one of our senators, Mike Lee, is working day in and day out to sell off your trails, favorite camping spots, and hunting places.
Sen. Lee believes that federal land ownership in Utah is hurting the Utah economy. His opponent, Evan McMullin understands the value of Utah’s public lands and has said, “Utah is one of the most stunning places on earth. We are fortunate to call it home and tens of millions of others visit from around the world every year. Our responsibility for stewardship of this uniquely beautiful place is great.”
In today’s economy, shared public land in its natural state has immense value. Utah’s federally owned public lands are a significant driver of our state’s prosperity. Shared access to the great outdoors brings business investment to our state, creating great jobs for our children and strong prospects for our future. Utah businesses in both our rural and urban areas use the quality of life that comes with outdoor access to public lands to recruit and retain employees.
Yet, Sen. Lee continues to work tirelessly to sell off our public lands. At every opportunity he introduces bills and amendments that will close trails and eliminate outdoor access. And I don’t mean a little sign that says the trail is closed — the trail will be gone, replaced by private development, and lost forever as a natural place for the common good. Sen. Lee opposed the reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund, a program that has funded outdoor access and investment in every county in America.
On October 29, 2019, KUER reported on a hearing Lee held in Moab where he said: “There’s not a single member of the Legislature … who believes that Utah should ever privatize or sell the crown jewels of Utah’s public lands system. This is about the other stuff … the land that’s not Delicate Arch, that’s just out there.”
Those lands that are just “out there” are where we all recreate. Lee is referring to the Forest Service and BLM lands that are home to our most famous trails from the Wasatch Crest to the Slickrock, From Hell’s Revenge to the Paiute OHV trail, from Indian Creek to Mill Creek Canyon. Lee’s views are so dominated by ideas from past centuries he remains blind to today’s real issues and opportunities. Do we really want our representative in the U.S. Senate to drive by looking in the rearview mirror at the past?
Instead, Evan McMullin understands the important role the public lands play for Utah’s communities, and when speaking about keeping land and water clean he acknowledges that: “Strengthening diversified economic development in rural areas” depends on public land — not just the national parks and the wilderness areas, but all of it.
You may think that Sen. Lee will never get away with selling off our public lands, but do you really want to take that risk? Once gone, they are gone forever.
In November, I hope you’ll join me in voting for a stronger, more unifying senator for Utah.
Evan McMullin is the senator Utahns nee
| Courtesy Peter Metcalf, founder of Black Diamond Inc.
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Peter Metcalf is the founder and former longtime CEO of Black Diamond Equipment.
