Land Conservation

Our hosts discuss U.S. relations with Iran and Cuba, algae blooming in the Reflecting Pool, and how resistance to AI and data centers is reshaping Utah politics.

The state challenged former President Biden's national monument designations, saying they were too big and broad. However, some environmental groups remained confident the designations will hold.

The sale to Utah Division of Wildlife Resources used money from a "rainy day" fund intended for public education. In other news, Apple Valley's aquifer was drained by an agricultural well.

Wildfire prevention is the core of a debate over repealing the decades-old conservation rule. One environmental group argued these efforts are more about profit than fire protection.

The Roadless Rule protects millions of acres of public land. Environmental groups have expressed support for the rule, but federal lawmakers were more divided.

Tribune reporters Tamarra Kemsley, Brooke Larsen, and Courtney Tanner talk about the week’s top stories, including Sen. Mike Lee attaching a repeal of the Roadless Rule to a federal wildfire bill.

The convention center is closing next year as part of plans for an expanded entertainment district. In other news, part of Nine Mile Canyon is being preserved without becoming public land.

That includes expanded opportunities at places like Bear Lake National Wildlife Refuge, as well as entirely new locations. It's part of wider efforts to remove barriers to hunting on federal lands.

Currently, park superintendents can add more restrictions on top of state rules. A new federal directive, however, questions whether some restrictions are already "unlawful barriers" to hunting.

Ranching and energy groups were excited for former congressman Steve Pearce, while conservationists were worried he'd sell public lands. In the end, the Senate voted on party lines to approve him.