SALT LAKE CITY — A survey released by an environmental group on Tuesday indicated a majority of Utahns support protecting national monuments, across political party lines.
The public opinion survey, conducted by New Bridge Strategy for the Grand Canyon Trust, found 75% of those polled support a president's authority to make a national monument. About 65% of those surveyed support keeping Utah's national monuments as is.
Breaking down by political party, a narrow majority of self-identified Republicans surveyed said they supported monument protections versus an overwhelming number of self-identified Democrats.
"I'm really encouraged by these poll results," said Charissa Miljessepe-Wilson, the co-director of the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition.
New Bridge Strategy surveyed 500 registered Utah voters in December. The poll has a margin of error of 4.38%.
Tribal and environmental groups are bracing for more battles over Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments. President Obama created Bears Ears National Monument in 2016. President Trump shrunk the boundaries of both monuments a year later. President Biden reinstated the boundaries for both monuments in 2021.
"We’ve heard and are expecting modifications similar to the first Trump administration," said Miljessepe-Wilson on Tuesday. "And we do expect them to be swifter as this administration has taken a lot of lessons from its first time around."
But the survey showed that a majority — 71% of those polled — believe the Bears Ears National Monument boundaries should remain as-is. Breaking down by political party, 61% of Republicans supported Bears Ears' current boundaries, compared to 80% of independents and 94% of Democrats. The polling also found that 74% supported keeping the boundaries of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. By political party, that was 65% of self-identified Republicans compared to 80% of independents and 96% of Democrats.
"What we do in response is reminding decision-makers and agencies how important it is to follow through with proper and thorough consultation with tribes," said Autumn Gillard, the cultural resources manager of the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah. "To reach out to us, to talk to us, learn about our opinions and viewpoints of the management of these lands."
Over the weekend, hundreds rallied on Utah's Capitol Hill in support of public lands. On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear a legal challenge brought by Utah's political leaders staking claim to 18.5 million acres of public lands.
The state now has the option to pursue that same case through a lower court before returning to the nation's top court.
"We’re not going to give up," Senate President J. Stuart Adams, R-Layton, told FOX 13 News.
Asked about the survey findings, House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper, said there is support for public land protections — but he drew a line.
"We want the land protected. But the problem is they’re using the monuments to cut of access to the lands," he said, referencing thousands of miles of roads that have seen access restricted under the Biden administration.
House Minority Leader Angela Romero, D-Salt Lake City, said she hoped her colleagues would listen to the survey results.
"We don’t want to see public lands, we don’t want to see them privatized just to drill for short-term outcomes when we have to think about our climate and our future for our children," she said.
