Wasatch Backcountry Alliance Advocates in Washington D.C. with Outdoor Alliance

This article was written in collaboration with Wasatch Backcountry Alliance

Last month, Wasatch Backcountry Alliance joined Outdoor Alliance staff, partners, and supporters to meet with lawmakers in Washington D.C. to advocate for the EXPLORE Act, increased funding for the Forest Service, defending the BLM’s Public Lands Rule, and protecting more of America’s public lands and waters.

Outdoor Alliance also gathered the first cohort of its Grasstops Collective, a training program for grasstops advocates to build relationships with their lawmakers, understand policy and advocacy more deeply, and drive conservation efforts forward nationally. These advocates received training on meeting with D.C. lawmakers and were able to organize meetings with their elected officials and the administration to share their concerns about both local policy and national conservation policy. 

Dani Poirier, Director at Wasatch Backcountry Alliance, who is a member of Outdoor Alliance’s Grasstops Collective and attended Outdoor Alliance’s last fly-in, said, “Advocating in DC is a lot like skiing a big line. It's intimidating leading up to it, but you feel empowered and accomplished when the day is done. We helped advance the EXPLORE Act, land protections, and funding for the outdoors by sharing our personal stories about the places we love to play. Conserving outdoor recreation opportunities is important and our collective voice is helping move the needle.”

Wasatch Backcountry Alliance met with Utah lawmakers and discussed its growing backcountry ski community, while stressing the importance of maintaining backcountry terrain and access. We also educated them on the shortcomings of the taxpayer-funded gondola proposal and the lack of constituent support throughout the state.

During the Grasstops training, we were joined by Meryl Harrell, the Deputy Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Harrell oversees the USDA Forest Service and works on policy and management related to the nation’s forests and grasslands.

Wasatch Backcountry Alliance was supported in each of their meetings by Winter Wildlands Alliance‘s Policy Director, Hilary Eisen. Here is a summary of the topics and policy priorities we discussed.

EXPLORE Act

The Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences (EXPLORE) Act takes important steps to expand and improve outdoor recreation opportunities. Highlights include the Biking on Long Distance Trails Act (BOLT) to create more long-distance bike trails, the Protecting America’s Rock Climbing Act (PARC) to safeguard Wilderness climbing, the Simplifying Outdoor Access for Recreation Act (SOAR), which will improve recreational permitting for outfitters and guides, and permanent direction for the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership and Federal Interagency Council on Outdoor Recreation (FICOR). The EXPLORE Act would also help land managers coordinate their efforts to improve access to nature and expand green space in communities that need it most.

Funding Public Lands

Many of Utah’s best outdoor recreation opportunities are on lands managed by the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), especially for winter recreation. Over the past two decades, real funding for outdoor recreation at the USFS has decreased while recreational visits have increased significantly, especially within the Wasatch-Cache National Forest (WCNF). The WCNF receives more annual visits (7 million), than our most popular National Park, Zion (5 million). Without adequate funding, these public lands see greater maintenance issues, trail erosion, trash, and parking problems, and land managers are limited in their ability to work with crucial partners.

Unfortunately, neither of the proposed FY25 appropriations bills for Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies meet these funding levels. Both the House and Senate fund BLM recreation at nearly identical levels (~$55M), while the Senate bill is considerably better for the USFS ($58M).

In the near term, we support the Senate’s proposed funding level of $58M for USFS Recreation, Heritage, and Wilderness, and pass FY25 appropriations bills on time. Over the longer term, we asked members to support Outdoor Alliance’s proposed funding level of $70M for USFS as programmatic funding requests in future appropriations cycles.

Reauthorizing the Great American Outdoors Act

The passage and implementation of the Great American Outdoor Act was a huge win for outdoor recreation. Funding for the Great American Outdoors Act’s Legacy Restoration Fund is set to expire at the end of September 2025. To continue to restore and maintain public lands and fully address the many maintenance challenges impacting our public lands, we need additional GAOA funding. We asked members to invest in outdoor recreation by permanently reauthorizing the GAOA.

Support for the BLM’s Public Lands Rule

The BLM’s new Public Lands Rule is a big deal for conservation and outdoor recreation. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is the largest landholder in the U.S., managing 245 million acres of public lands, including some of the most spectacular landscapes for outdoor recreation. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) manages nearly 22.8 million acres of public lands in Utah.

The BLM manages these lands for multiple use, which includes extraction and development. Less than 15% of BLM lands are protected for conservation through the BLM’s National Conservation Lands system. The Public Lands Rule is an effort to put conservation on an equal footing with these other uses.

The Rule is currently under threat. The House has voted to roll the rule back, and it is in danger of being repealed. Lawmakers need to hear from supporters that the Public Lands Rule is important for outdoor recreation, and should remain in place.

Utah’s Gondola Project

Wasatch Backcountry Alliance, alongside Winter Wildlands Alliance, has been tracking and fighting a proposal to build a gondola through Little Cottonwood Canyon. The gondola would directly violate the Roadless Rule and negatively impact wilderness areas. Construction would require implementing towers which would affect forests, vegetation, watersheds, and places of outdoor recreation popular for backcountry skiing and hiking. The proposed gondola in Little Cottonwood Canyon would also be fiscally irresponsible and is an overwhelmingly unpopular use of taxpayer dollars. The latest data estimates show the gondola costing Utah taxpayers $1.4 Billion. We urge Utah lawmakers to follow sequential phasing, by putting in place low-cost, scaleable, more effective transit solutions like buses, rather than moving ahead with a permanent structure yielding low returns. Thanks to Canyon Guard for helping provide resources. 

As we approach the end of the year, there is a lot of critical legislation at stake that would protect America’s public lands and waters, and ensure that outdoor recreation experiences are sustainable. Take action by asking your lawmakers to pass the EXPLORE Act, fund public lands, and support the BLM Public Lands Rule using the tools provided. Make sure to add a personal note to make your message more impactful!