We are watching and participating diligently to limit negative impacts to the Wasatch, while advocating for resources and solutions to our most pressing issues. As we spend our days on Capitol Hill lobbying and tracking complicated policy, we will call on you when we need your help to preserve the beauty and wildness of the range we all love. In addition to advocating for bus and shuttle-based transit in the Central Wasatch, we’re also on the lookout for bills and appropriations that could negatively impact the watershed and public lands. We’re 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.
Active bills we support:
S.A.R. 2 / H.B. 2 (Support)
Millcreek Canyon Shuttle Program (S.A.R. 2 & H.B. 2)
Sponsor: Senator Cullimore (Appropriation) & Rep. Peterson (Bill)
SOC Stance: Support
Action: Watch
This appropriation request funds a 3-year pilot program of the Central Wasatch Commission's Millcreek Canyon Shuttle program. We support this initiative that reduces congestion in the canyon, benefiting both watershed and access to dispersed recreation. The funding provided by this appropriation would ensure that the shuttle system can be established in a way that pays for itself after the pilot program window ends.
House Bill 376 Land Management Funding Amendments (Conditionally Support)
H.B. 376 Land Management Funding Amendments
Status: House Concurrence Calendar
Sponsor: Representative Albrecht
SOC Stance: Support with Conditions
Action: Watch, Speak in Committee
3/5 update: though the Senate passed this bill, they significantly reduced the funding included in it. The bill has been sent back to the House for concurrence. We encourage members of the House to advocate for the bill's fiscal note to be returned to the previous amount.
This bill establishes the Utah Forest Restoration Institute (UFRI) at Utah State as 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, we support this bill - we do, however, affirm our belief that additional resources do not entitle the state to the takeover ownership or authority of federal lands.
Save Our Canyons Executive Director, Jack Stauss spoke in support of this bill in the 2/18 Senate Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment Committee.
House Bill 481 (Neutral)
H.B. 481 Transportation Modifications
Status: Senate 2nd Reading Calendar.
Sponsor: Representative Christofferson
SOC Stance: Neutral
Action: Watch
Because this bill covers a much wider range than our scope, we haven't taken a position on it. There is, however, one provision that aligns closely with our comments on both the Big Cottonwood Canyon Environmental Assessment, and implementation of Little Cottonwood Canyon EIS Phase 1. To improve ridership and rider experience, we would like to see amenities provided in the mobility hub(s), and this bill supports UDOT's ability to coordinate leasing portions of the hubs for that purpose.
Senate Concurrent Resolution 11 (Support
S.C.R. 11 Concurrent Resolution Supporting Federal Public Lands in Utah
Status: Senate Rules Committee
Sponsor: Senator Blouin
SOC Stance: Support
Action: Watch
This resolution expresses support for the federal government's continued preservation of Utah's public lands for future generations. Public lands are owned by all Americans, stewardship in perpetuity by the Federal Government, including the US Forest Service, is critical to keeping it that way.
House Bill 30 (Support)
H.B. 30 Wildlife Management Area Amendments
Status: Senate Rules Committee
Sponsor: Representative Shallenberger
SOC Stance: Support
Action: Watch
3/5 update: unfortunately, despite wide support, this bill was sent back to Senate Rules Committee. While it is not dead in the water, we hope to see it return from rules for a final Senate vote.
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 536 (Support)
H.B. 536 Criminal Conduct on Public Lands Amendments
Status: Senate Rules Committee
Sponsor: Representative Barlow
SOC Stance: Support
Action: Watch
This bill strengthens regulations around defacement of natural and archaeological features on public lands. We support common-sense measures like this that improve the ability of agencies and officials to preserve these natural wonders for future generations.
Active bills we oppose:
House Bill 546 (Oppose)
H.B. 546 Public Lands Duty of Care Amendments
Status: Senate 2nd Reading Calendar
Sponsor: Representative Ivory
SOC Stance: Oppose
Action: Watch
Update 2/24: This bill was heard in the House Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment Committee on 2/23. Save Our Canyons spoke in opposition to the bill. Despite thousands of messages from those opposed to this unconstituional overreach, it passed on to the House Floor along party lines. As the situation evolves, Save Our Canyons will keep you updated on how to show up in support of public lands.
Send a message to the committee in opposition to this bill.
HB 546 stands on the flawed assertion that Utah never ceded control of federal lands to the United States Government. Well, in a way that is true because the State of Utah never had ownership of these lands. In fact, the United States acquired these lands from Mexico via the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848 – decades before Utah even existed as a state. Consequently, the U.S. Constitution’s Property Clause grants Congress the power to manage these lands, not the State Legislature.
Most concerningly, this would empower the state to declare forests "landscape public nuisances", likely overriding local forest plans, travel-management plans, and agency-level policies like the beloved 2001 Roadless Rule under the guise of "abating" these nuisances. We support collaborative, comprehensive forest management strategies that address the risk of catastrophic wildfire; unfortunately this bill uses the nuisance of wildfire risk as a trojan horse to bring more state control, more permanent roads, and more development to our forests, something we cannot get behind.
We are hopeful that this is nothing but a simple messaging bill from Representative Ivory, who has long had a chip on his shoulder about public lands. We will keep you updated if this bill makes it out of House Rules Committee, at which point it would be an all-hands-on-deck effort to stop this bill.
House Concurrent Resolution 5 (Oppose)
H.C.R. 5 House Concurrent Resolution on State Management of Federal Public Lands
Status: Senate Rules Committee
Sponsor: Representative Eliason
SOC Stance: Oppose as written
Action: Watch
As of 3/4/26, this resolution was resurrected from House Rules, containing provisions requiring the study of two State Parks in the Wasatch. While we remain fundamentally opposed to provisions that encourage encroachment into USFS land management authority, we also support more resources to manage visitor use in the Wasatch, and are open to discussion on how these proposed state parks would be implemented.
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.
Senate Bill 284 (Oppose)
S.B. 284 Local Land Use Modifications
Status: House Rules Committee
Sponsor: Senator Fillmore
SOC Stance: Oppose
Action: Watch
As initially drafted, this bill heavily undermined the ability of local governments to enforce the zoning laws that are carefully crafted to maintain the character and way of life these towns and counties value. It has been significantly watered down, with only a few remaining provisions that we are in opposition to. Our primary concern is that it strips the rights of "adversely affected parties”, such as neighboring community groups, technical experts, and conservation advocates to bring certain enforcement actions against unlawful uses, reserving that right solely for the land-use applicant. It also restricts public participation by mandating that appeal authorities may only allow the applicant or the municipality to speak during hearings. Furthermore, it would prevent elected legislative bodies from acting as appeal authorities, reducing democratic accountability from land-use decisions.
If this bill were to pass, local input on land-use applications would be limited, impacting our work to limit the expansion of gravel pits and parking lots onto undisturbed lands in the Wasatch.
Passed bills:
Senate Bill 44 (Oppose)
S.B. 44 Statewide Resource Management Plan Amendments
Status: Sent for enrolling
Sponsor: Senator Stratton
SOC Stance: Oppose as written
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 Bill 378 Fugitive Dust Mitigation Amendments (Support)
H.B. 378 Fugitive Dust Mitigation Amendments
Status: Sent for enrolling
Sponsor: Representative Gricius
SOC Stance: Support
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.
