Happy Friday! I’m Sara Weber, The Salt Lake Tribune’s Voices editor. Welcome to Inside Voices, a new weekly newsletter that features a collection of ideas, perspectives and solutions from across Utah — without any of the vitriol or yelling that’s become all too common on other platforms. Subscribe here.
We’re deep into the heart of summer and, as you’re out exploring our beautiful state, there’s a good chance you’re recreating on public lands. While these areas tend to be admired by most who cross them, there’s an argument that has Utahns divided: When and where should motorized vehicles be allowed on public lands?
Gov. Spencer Cox and Redge Johnson, the director of Utah’s Public Lands Policy Coordinating Office Redge Johnson, wrote in an op-ed that Utah needs to find a balanced approach to this matter — and that the BLM sometimes stands in the way. “Utah is fighting to preserve motorized access on the roads and trails as they currently exist on the ground, so that all types of recreation — both motorized and non-motorized — will have their place across Utah’s stunning landscape.” That includes working with Mike Lee, they write, on “legislation that will protect that crucial balance.”
In a direct response to the governor’s op-ed, Steve Bloch and Laura Peterson at the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance wrote that “motorized use has exploded across Utah’s wildest places” and the BLM “is updating several plans that identify which dirt roads and trails will remain open to motorized vehicles and which will be closed to that particular use.”
Here’s what other Utahns had to say:
Motorized use should be allowed “only on properly designated routes under BLM Travel Management Plans or Forest Service plans,” says Richard in St. George. “And both federal agencies need to do more to prevent OHV related user conflicts and resource damage.”
Rich Klein of Trail Hero helps Utahns with special needs and veterans with disabilities access public lands via motorized vehicles. In a recent op-ed, he wrote that “Restricting motorized access is not just a policy failure; it’s a moral one. It denies a significant portion of our population the joy and therapeutic benefits of nature.”
Scott, also from St. George, wrote that, “in general, I think UTV’s are obnoxious, but sometimes they’re the only way the elderly and disabled can access the backcountry. A good compromise would be for off-road enthusiasts to develop a minimal-impact ethos that includes noise-reduction. If they did this they’d likely maintain more access to public lands as they wouldn’t be seen as destructive to nature.”
Thanks to all who shared their perspective. Looking forward: Tell me what you think about upcoming plans to revitalize downtown Salt Lake City.
Utah Voices
In light of the Supreme Court’s decision to allow gun restrictions on domestic violence abusers, Kimmi Wolf at the Utah Domestic Violence Coalition wrote that “civil protection orders are a critical piece of safety for many domestic violence survivors around the country … We know that more must be done to enforce these life-saving firearms prohibitions.”
“Utah’s support of families who have children with disabilities is largely lip service,” writes Matthew Wappett of the Utah State University Institute for Disability Research, Policy & Practice. The state must “figure out how to address the crisis in Utah’s Baby Watch Early Intervention program.”
Marisol Cuevas is a graduate of Heber High School, a retail supervisor in Park City and a Dreamer. She says “it’s hard to put into words what the right to work means” and that her “heart breaks for the 1,000 estimated new high school graduates in Utah who are experiencing what I went through.”
In a new column, historian Matthew Bowman explores a tale of two presidents — in 1968 and 2024 — and the waning power of political parties. “Perhaps the two conventions this summer might inspire Americans to think again about what use parties might be and whether they might be reformed yet again.”
In the movie “Heretic,” Hugh Grant tells the two Latter-day Saint missionaries, “You will witness a miracle.” For Beth Adams in Salt Lake City, the trailer for the upcoming film brought back scary, suffocating memories of her Latter-day Saint mission.
Looking for tips on fatherhood? Look no further than “Bluey,” the Australian children’s cartoon, and a Facebook group, writes Ian Scott in Spanish Fork.
Share Your Perspective
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Fans watching the Doubles Luge competition at the Utah Olympic Park, 2002 Olympic Winter Games on Friday, Feb. 15, 2002.
Utahns who were here for the 2002 Winter Olympics: What is your favorite memory from the Games? Tell us here.
From Bagley’s Desk
Monster Truck | Pat Bagley
I’m always looking for unique perspectives, ideas and solutions that move our state forward. Learn more about our guidelines for an op-ed, guest essay, letter to the editor and more here, and drop me a note at voices@sltrib.com.