Overview
The BLM manages nearly 23 millions acres of public lands in Utah, representing about 42 percent of the state.  These lands are located mostly in western and southeastern Utah.  The terrain is varied, ranging from rolling uplands in the Uintah Basin to sprawling lowlands in the Mojave Desert.  Utah’s public lands feature some of the most spectacular scenery in the world, from the snow-capped peaks of remote mountain ranges to the colorful red-rock canyons of the Colorado Plateau.   

BLMs first national monument is located on public lands in Utah.  Situated in the stunningly beautiful red-rock country of south-central Utah, the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument encompasses 1.9 million acres.  The area offers a unique combination of archaeological, historical, paleontological, geological, and biological resources. 

Multiple Use on Public Lands
The BLM manages public lands for a variety of uses.  These lands provide minerals, energy, and livestock forage.  They also provide natural, historical, and cultural resources that we value and carefully protect.  In addition, they provide unique opportunities for solitude and outdoor recreation.

Energy
The Bureau of Land Management in Utah plays an integral role in helping meet the nation’s energy demands. Managing the subsurface minerals for 33.9 million acres in Utah, the BLM is responsible for implementing regulations that ensure energy resources are developed in an efficient, effective and environmentally-sound manner. This is just a glimpse at what the Utah BLM is doing right now:

• With more than 6,100 producible oil and gas wells, Utah is one of the top producers in the U.S. for natural gas and crude oil production. This production is primarily in the Uinta Basin and in a region near Price.
• In 2001, the BLM transferred more than 50 million dollars to the State of Utah for mineral royalties.
• 68 percent of Utah coal, the country’s primary energy source, comes from federally leased lands. In 2001, Utah coal mines produced more than 27 million tons of coal from the Wasatch Plateau in Carbon, Emery and Sevier Counties.
• Energy companies are currently testing the potential for wind energy in Utah. Although Utah’s highest potential wind energy locations are small pockets scattered throughout the state, companies are testing areas that include the Confusion Range area, Price Canyon, the Cricket Mountains and the Crawford Mountains.
• Two geothermal plants in Beaver County currently produce 24 Megawatts per year.

Resource Protection
The year 2006 marked the centennial of the Antiquities Act.  As part of the celebration, Utah BLM  began the “Discover Comb Ridge” project.  This project will be an intensive five-year program to discover and document one of the most culturally-rich areas in the Four Corners.  Comb Ridge, a magnificent 30-mile long sandstone anticline, and its adjacent drainages, are renowned for their numerous prehistoric sites, including standing architecture and Chacoan road segments. 

Although the area had been the focus of some of the earliest archaeological expeditions, there is no comprehensive survey record of the sites in this area.  The Comb Ridge project will create such a record and build respect for our heritage resources.  By bringing together partners, including local communities, research organizations, avocational groups, Native Americans, and the tourism community, a comprehensive survey of the area will be conducted and the incremental results will be shared with the public to help increase understanding of these resources.

Recreation
Recreation use in Utah continues to increase with events and activities routinely achieving record visitation.  Utah recreation sites are national focal points for trail use, mountain biking, climbing, river running, hiking, camping, and back-country use.  Recreation is a growing and important socioeconomic base for many communities in Utah.  For example, nearly 60% of the entire Moab economy is based directly on recreation and tourism, 45% of the jobs in Moab are recreation or tourism related, and 45 Moab recreation businesses depend directly on public land to sustain their livelihood.  Utah's recreation program helps to support sustainable economic growth, assists with diversifying and stabilizing local communities, sustains domestic tourism, provides valuable community amenities and attracts business, and protects sensitive resources that improve the quality of life for both residents and visitors. 

Utah is among the top three BLM states in visitation numbers with nearly 6 million visits in FY 2004.  It is also a leader in fee collection, number of sites managed (400), and number of special recreation permits (5,471) issued. 

Cooperative Conservation
BLM Utah currently has six cooperative conservation initiative projects underway.  Projects include:  Kanab Creek restoration, Rich County wildlife habitat improvement, sagebrush restoration on the Colorado Plateau, San Juan River restoration, and two habitat restoration projects in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.  

One Cooperative Conservation effort in particular that involves numerous partners is the Grand Staircase wildlife habitat improvement project.  The overall project consists of 10-15 smaller projects involving reconstruction of pipelines, fences, and spring developments.  The project will allow for better distribution of large game species and assist Utah Division of Wildlife in meeting management goals for the Paunsagaunt deer herd.  It will provide water for State sensitive mammals such as Fringed Myotis, Brazilian freetail bat, big free-tailed bat, Townsend’s big-eared bat, and Allen’s lappet-brow bat.  It will also provide water for State sensitive birds such as peregrine falcon, Ferruginous hawk, and blue grosbeak.
       
Partners on this project include Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, Utah Dedicated Hunters, Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife, Friends of the Paunsagaunt, Mule Deer Federation, and Foundation for North American Wild Sheep.

Planning
Utah BLM currently has six resource management plan revision efforts underway for over 10 million acres of public land.  These plans will serve as a blueprint to guide the use and protection of these lands over the next 10-15 years.  Issues of particular interest in the plan revisions include:  minerals and energy resources, grazing management, recreation, off-highway vehicle management, cultural resources, and special designations such as areas of critical environmental concern, wild and scenic rivers, and wilderness.     

GSENM Unveils New Exhibits at Visitor Centers
During the summer of 2004, the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (GSENM) unveiled new interpretive exhibits at the GSENM Kanab, Cannonville, and Big Water Visitor Centers.  The visitor center exhibits are designed to help visitors understand the importance and relevance of science to our world today. Seen through the perspective of researchers, displays reveal why science seeks to unlock secrets from the past to help us find and better use resources now and in the future. Further, the displays spark the viewer’s imagination of what it might be like to be a scientist on GSENM. Through these exhibits, visitors can learn about scientific processes, understand how clues fit together to form hypotheses, and gain a greater appreciation for the Monument.  Imaginative and absorbing, the new visitor center exhibits help whisk visitors into the world of the scientist. Some exhibits even create the illusion of being on an actual archaeological or paleontological excavation.

Visitor center themes are as follows:  Kanab – geology and archaeology, Cannonville – human migration and settlement, Big Water – paleontology, and Escalante – science and research.

Off-Highway Vehicle Management
Off-highway vehicle management is an issue common among all natural resource agencies in Utah.  In response to this challenge, agencies formed the Natural Resources Conservation Council (NRCC) OHV Steering Committee and three sub teams to specifically work on OHV issues.  Accomplishments as a result of the NRCC OHV effort include:

• Identifying and mapping OHV hot spots (areas throughout the state that are experiencing negative OHV impacts)
• Sharing law enforcement resources at key sites during high use recreation periods
• Developing a common vision statement and communication theme of “Protect Your Privilege, Stay on the Trail”
• Developing an interagency standard for route marking 
• Contracting for a public awareness campaign to address safety and user ethics messages
• Developing one-day ride brochures that are published and posted on the internet

Paleontology
The GSENM contains one of the highest concentrations of dinosaur fossils found anywhere in the world.  Since its creation in 1996, numerous species have been discovered.  These world-class fossil-rich sites contain one of the most continuous records of Late Cretaceous terrestrial life.  Significant fossils include mollusks, turtles, crocodilians, lizards, fishes, mammals, and dinosaurs.  One such find was a 75 million year old hadrosaur recently found in “The Blues” area of the Kaiparowitz Plateau.  This particular specimen was 70% complete and included some of the skull and large areas of skin impressions around the hips and tail, making it one of the most complete large dinosaur skeletons ever found in the Monument.  After 12 months of excavation, the BLM and Utah Museum of Natural History airlifted the specimen from its resting place.  Twelve pieces of the skeleton, “jacketed” in plaster for protection, were picked up by a helicopter and flown out.  The final destination for the skeleton was the Utah Museum of Natural History where it is currently being studied by the University’s paleontology department.