In this episode, we talk with SUWA Wildlands Attorney Kya Marienfeld and Legislative Director Jen Ujifusa about the status of, and funding for, large-scale eradication of piñon pine and juniper forests on BLM lands in Utah. As you may recall, back in October 2018 we talked about BLM plans to destroy native forests on over 135,000 acres inside Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Fifteen months later we’re happy to report that ALL of those plans have now been shelved. We’ll learn why, and we’ll take a deeper dive into the shadowy manner in which these projects are funded, and what we’re doing about it. 

Wild Utah is produced by Jerry Schmidt and is made possible by the contributing members of SUWA. Our theme music, “What’s Worth?” was written and performed in Moab by Haley Noel Austin.