Save Our Canyons will be watching and participating diligently to limit negative impacts to the Wasatch, while advocating for resources and solutions to our most pressing issues. We’ll be on Capitol Hill lobbying, tracking complicated policy, and calling on you when we need your help to preserve the beauty and wildness of the range we all love. We’ll approach this session with cautious curiosity; in some cases our strategy will leverage relationships and research to make simple tweaks to policy, but in other cases we’ll need to call on you to speak loud.
In addition to advocating for bus and shuttle-based transit in the Central Wasatch, we’ll also be on the lookout for bills and appropriations that could negatively impact the watershed and public lands. We’ll be watching especially closely for anything that would impact the proposed gondola in Little Cottonwood Canyon (LCC) or the proposed gravel pit in Parley’s Canyon.
The Wasatch Range can’t speak for itself, so we need your voice to stand up for keeping it beautiful and wild. Make sure to sign up for our mailing list so you receive Action Alerts when it’s time for your voice to be heard.
Bills and appropriations we're tracking:
Senate Bill 44 (Oppose)
S.B. 44 Statewide Resource Management Plan Amendments
Status: Passed Senate, In House Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment Committee.
Sponsor: Senator Stratton
SOC Stance: Oppose as written
As of 2/9/26, our network has shown that further substitutions to this bill are unlikely. We remain opposed to this bill as-written, but open to discussion on logistics of how the proposed State Park in Millcreek Canyon would be implemented.
This bill adopts a new version of the State Resource Management Plan (SRMP). The SRMP is a Utah-specific plan, created by the Public Lands Policy Coordinating Office (PLPCO) that acts as a vision board for the State's efforts to control federally-managed lands and resources. Though this is not a binding plan, more of a wish list, there are some fundamental issues presented by the PLPCO publishing a plan for management of certain resources that aren't even under the jurisdiction of the State.
The most concerning portion of this year's plan includes an initiative to turn Millcreek Canyon into a State Park. Millcreek Canyon, which is collaboratively managed by the United States Forest Service (USFS) and Salt Lake County (SLCo) is a gem of the Central Wasatch, and the current management strategy is widely viewed as a success by Wasatch canyon-goers. As with HCR 5, we are fundamentally opposed to any changes that transfer ownership or decision-making authority away from the federal government or counties to the State of Utah. However, as with all things, there is nuance to this situation that is not clarified in the draft.
If this proposal involves purchasing and preserving at-risk private parcels within the canyon, while funding public transit, we could possibly get on board with this initiative. However, if the proposal is to claw control and ownership away from the USFS and SLCo, we are opposed. While we are still trying to get answers and advocate for change on The Hill, be ready for a possible Action Alert in the near future.
House Concurrent Resolution 5 (Oppose)
H.C.R. 5 House Concurrent Resolution on State Management of Federal Public Lands
Status: House Rules
Sponsor: Representative Eliason
SOC Stance: Oppose as written
As of 2/9/26, this resolution remains stalled in House Rules, a sign that it was possibly dead-on-arrival. Through out network we have hear that Representative Eliason may be back to the drawing board for a more collaborative version of this resolution. We remain open to conversation on tweaks to this resolution that could bring resources to our public lands without transferring of management or authority.
House Concurrent Resolution 5 urges federal and state entities to pursue additional opportunities for federally managed lands to convert to State Parks, Monuments, and Recreation Areas. Included within this broader resolution is an initiative to turn portions of USFS land along Skyline Drive, a portion of the Wasatch Mountains above Davis County into a State Park. As a resolution, this is a non-binding agreement that urges the federal government to co-manage federal lands, rather than a directive like we see in traditional bills.
While we value our existing state parks and other recreation opportunities provided by the State of Utah, Save Our Canyons is fundamentally opposed to dismantling or transferring of USFS land to state hands unless there is explicit approval from the local community and Forest Service Ranger District. In many other attempts by the State of Utah to gain control of federal lands, we have seen initiatives focused on grazing, mining, and urban development. It should be noted that this attempt is focused around recreation opportunities provided by State Parks, which we acknowledge is not the same as chipping away at public lands for extractive uses. Representative Eliason has long been a champion of the State Parks, which we applaud him for, but this large-scale transferring of ownership and decision-making authority to the State of Utah, even if in the form of State Parks, is something that is fundamentally counter to our mission of preserving the beauty and wildness of the Wasatch Mountains.
House Bill 376 Land Management Funding Amendments (Conditionally Support)
H.B. 376 Land Management Funding Amendments
Status: House Third Reading Calendar
Sponsor: Representative Albrecht
SOC Stance: Support with Conditions
Action: Watch
This bill establishes the Utah Forest Restoration Institute (UFRI) at Utah State. This institute would be Utah's first Southwest Ecological Restoration Institute (SWERI), something each of our neighboring Four Corners states have benefited greatly from over recent years. This bill also directs UFRI to coordinate closely with and inform Watershed Restoration Initiative (WRI) efforts. We support sound science and resources to apply research to forest management, especially when it deals with watershed health and keeping our communities safe. As such, this bill text generally reads like something we support - there is, however, a little nuance to this situation.
Changes during recent Legislative Sessions have required state universities, like Utah State, to reduce costs and consolidate departments. One significant loss in this change is the splicing of Utah State's Watershed Sciences department, leaving orphaned programs spread out into other departments. Because our forests face wide-ranging challenges that span academic disciplines, interdisciplinary research is critical to understanding and addressing these challenges. We support the concept of a SWERI at Utah State, but questions remain of how, and why this comes at a time when an interdisciplinary department with nearly the same mission was just cut.
Under the condition that the faculty and researchers doing this work on-the-ground support this change, we do as well. As we learn more about how these changes impact the restoration work and research in the Wasatch, we will keep you updated.
House Bill 30 and House Bill 18 (Support)
H.B. 30 Wildlife Management Area Amendments
Status: Passed House, in Senate Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment Committee
Sponsor: Representative Shallenberger (HB 30)
SOC Stance: Support
Action: Watch
Last year, H.B. 309 Wildlife Amendments established that Wildlife and Waterfowl Management Areas (WMAs) in high-population counties could only be accessed by adults with active hunting or fishing licenses. This created access issues for non-consumptive wildlife enthusiasts and recreationists, including along the Bonneville Shoreline Trail within the Timponogos WMA. Though that specific WMA received respite through a special use permit that granted trail access, the precedent set by this change was troublesome for access to state-managed public lands.
This year, HB 30 and H.B. 18 both seek to reverse course on last year's decision, something Save Our Canyons can get behind. WMAs are managed specifically for wildlife, and are an important tool for preserving habitat, and a portion funding for these WMAs comes from hunting and fishing licenses. We understand that recreationists can have impacts on wildlife habitat, and that funding is needed to maintain WMAs, but we also believe that hunting and fishing are just a few of many ways that Utahns can appreciate our wildlife and wildlife habitat. We are especially excited about H.B. 30, which goes above-and-beyond just rescinding the troublesome code, by implementing a new stewardship fund and educational tools for people accessing WMAs.
House Bill 378 Fugitive Dust Mitigation Amendments (Support)
H.B. 378 Fugitive Dust Mitigation Amendments
Status: House Third Reading Calendar
Sponsor: Representative Gricius
SOC Stance: Support
Action: Watch
This bill requires large fugitive dust facilities to post informational signage outside of the facility, including permit and contact information. It also clarifies requirements and corrective actions around fugitive dust plans, including new reporting requirements and increased inspections. The flip side is that facilities which have a history of compliance are subject to reduced inspection frequency, some give and some take. SOC recognizes the need for gravel and aggregates, but believes that the Wasatch Mountains are a critical watershed resource and recreation zone, directly upwind of a major metro area, that should be preserved from gravel pits. We support this bill as it will lead to more accountability in existing gravel operations, such as the Harpers Quarry in Parley's canyon.
House Bill 12 (Support)
H.B. 12 Outdoor Recreation Accessibility Amendments
Status: Passed both Chambers! Waiting to be enrolled.
Sponsor: Representative Welton
SOC Stance: Support
Action: Watch
This bill changes the definition of "Recreational infrastructure project" in state code to include trail improvements and equipment for disabled and adaptive users. This change opens up resources for projects in the State, including those supported by the Utah Division of Outdoor Recreation to use state funding for these accessibility measures. Save Our Canyons supports this welcome change, and we look forward to seeing how it might improve access in the Wasatch.
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