Defend Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument!
Defend Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument!
Earlier this year, Representative Celeste Maloy (R-UT-02) and Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) introduced joint resolutions to gut the monument management plan for Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah, which guides everything from the protection of sacred landscapes to the location of new campgrounds. Overturning the plan overrides years of public input and collaboration and puts the monument in harm’s way. Using the CRA to undo monument management plans also sets a dangerous precedent: if Congress can invalidate one monument’s management plan through this process, no national monument is safe.
Public lands advocates across the country are fighting back.
Here’s are just a few examples:
Inter-Tribal Coalition Members Call for Stop to Proposal to Use Congressional
Review Act (CRA) to Harm Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.
January 22, 2026
The Navajo-Utah Commission has issued a resolution opposing the CRA resolution, as has the Town of Boulder.
February 3, 2026
Read the Navajo Utah Commission Resolution – Read the Town of Boulder Resolution
2026 Conservation in the West Polling confirms that protecting National Monuments is overwhelmingly popular in Utah and across the west.
A 2026 Headwaters Economics report demonstrates that the Grand Staircase-Escalante has a meaningful, positive impact on local economies, making them stable and resilient and less subject to the boom and bust of extractive industries.
Over 125 local, state, and national groups oppose Utah Politicians attempt to Undo Management Plan for Grand Staircase-Escalante.
March 30, 2026
The Salt Lake Tribune, Grand Junction Sentinel, and Durango Herald have editorialized against the CRA and in support of the Monument.
Letters to the editor have gone into papers across the country; three particular powerful op-eds include “The strike on Grand Staircase is a strike on my culture and my history” by Autumn Gillard, “Stop Trying to Utah our Nevada” by Dackota York, and “A Utah Monument Comes Under Attack – Again” by Stephen Trimble.
Over 40 local businesses in Gateway towns like Boulder, Escalante, Tropic, Cannonville and Kanab support the Monument.
Local business owners are in this video montage responding to a March 2026 Rep. Maloy video where she claims that the 2025 plan is bad for business.
Faith Leaders across Utah and the American West oppose use of the CRA on Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.
If you’re a faith leader wishing to add your name to the letter, please email Ron Barness:[email protected].
Groups such as Conservation Alliance, Outdoor Alliance, the National Wildlife Federation, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, American Hunters and Anglers Action Network, National Parks Conservation Association, and many others oppose the use of the CRA.
Leading outdoor businesses such as REI, Patagonia, and Black Diamond are all speaking out.
Tens of thousands of people are reaching out to their Members of Congress!
You can help us stop this attack, but time is of the essence. Reach out to your members of Congress TODAY to urge them to vote against these joint resolutions that fast-track the destruction of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.
Additional Resources
-
“Utah National Monument at Risk if Congress Trashes Management Plan” from the Grand Canyon Trust
-
StoryMap and “Debunking Senator Lee & Rep. Maloy’s “Fact Sheets” on Grand Staircase-Escalante” from the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA)
-
We encourage you to photos from this folder (be sure to credit photographers) or GSENM Scenics to accompany any of your materials. Additional photos & video from The Wilderness Society can be found here; please review the usage guidelines.