Sierra Club director calls for greater lands protections

Sierra Club executive director Michael Brune called for expanding federally protected lands in the Grand and San Juan counties — including the establishment of a Greater Canyonlands National Monument —during a public event in Moab on Tuesday, June 16. Brune joined other environmental activists at Star Hall for a public screening of an updated version of Justin Clifton’s film, “Our Canyon Lands,” which was first shown last fall during the 50th anniversary celebration of Canyonlands National Park. A panel discussion, moderated by Mathew Gross of the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, followed the screening of the film. “You are lucky to live here. You really do live in one of the most beautiful places in the world,” Brune told a receptive audience of more than 100 people during his opening remarks. Brune’s wife and three young children were also in attendance, as the family took the opportunity to vacation in the area. The Sierra Club and other environmental groups are advocating the creation of the Greater Canyonlands National Monument, which would comprise an additional 1.8 million acres of federal Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service lands that surround the existing Canyonlands National Park. In addition, a 1.9 million-acre parcel known as the Bears Ears area in the southeast corner of Utah is also being promoted as worthy of greater federal protection...more