Right now, America’s public lands are under threat.  The Trump Administration and Congress are attempting to strip protections for National Monuments. These and more wilderness areas need to be protected from mining, roads, and development.

 

This Spring, I was fortunate to be invited for a second year to Wilderness Week (WW) in Washington, D.C. This gathering of public land advocates from around the country is sponsored by the Utah Wilderness Coalition (UWC), which includes Sierra Club, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA), and Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). I wrote about my adventures at WW last year in the May 2025 Quinnehtukqut. I have come to love the red rocks country from my years living out West and learned so much more from the experience of going to the SUWA retreat in the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument last summer.

 

 

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Image of Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument by VIT DUCKEN from Pixabay

 

The purpose of Wilderness Week is to gain co-sponsors for America’s Red Rocks Wilderness Act (ARRWA). Last year, my team was successful in adding both Senators Blumenthal and Murphy, as well as Representatives DeLauro and Hayes, as original co-sponsors of ARRWA. Representative Courtney signed on a bit later. This year, the second in the 119th Congress, I was hoping to add Representatives Himes and Larson to the list of co-sponsors from Connecticut, and others from New England. 

 

This year I was assigned to lobby the Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire delegations along with Bob S., aka “Ranger Bob”, a park ranger for 36 years, including 21 years in the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument (NM). As a resident of Utah, who knows the red rocks better than most, Bob was a real asset, and his folksy way of highlighting our ask with local stories was invaluable. 

 

In advance of Wilderness Week, I scheduled meetings with legislators from three states. Upon arrival in D.C., we had a very full day of training, followed by photos of the group and teams in front of the Capitol, and a dinner for the many Sierra Club members who were there, including some of our National Sierra Club Board members who focus on conservation.

 

Monday and Tuesday were packed full of meetings on the Hill — Bob and I had twelve, plus some unscheduled office visits to drop off information packets. The legislative aides we met with were generally very interested in learning more about the Red Rocks and Grand Staircase Escalante NM in particular, so having Ranger Bob’s experience there was a huge asset. I talked about why the remaining wilderness lands are so important to all of us as a nature solution to mitigate climate change, including their ability to sequester vast amounts of carbon and to help preserve biodiversity by providing wildlife corridors. All in all, I think our work as a group was very successful, especially in building opposition to stripping protections from National Monuments. 

 

On Wednesday morning, a number of us attended the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Business Meeting which was scheduled to consider the nomination of Steve Pearce for BLM Director. Pearce is a former Congressman from New Mexico who supports large land sales and monument rollbacks. In protest, we wore green tee shirts that read “Don’t let Steve Pearce sell our public lands” and sat together. The vote was split by party with the majority of two Republicans causing his nomination to be approved and it is now headed for a vote in the Senate. At least we got a mention in Politico!

 

 

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Image of Sierra Club members in Washington, D.C. advocating for saving our public lands.

 

After a busy day of meetings, we gathered at the SUWA office to debrief and head out for planned evening activities. My favorite was the reception to honor Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois, who has been the lead sponsor of ARRWA for many years.  He and his co-sponsor Melanie Stansbury, spoke that night and we were treated to a lovely spread. Many of us had additional meetings on Wednesday morning, before flying back to our homes. I had opted to stay another two days and so I was able to fit in another three meetings, then stand with protesters at the White House to show my opposition to the bombing of Iran. I met with some old friends and took in some of the theater and art that abounds in D.C. 

 

I appreciate the opportunity to work with conservation advocates from around the country to help preserve our wild lands. We are building a strong community of advocates working together for a truly important and timely goal. 

 

Here’s how you can help protect wilderness and public lands:

• Tell Congress to urge the Trump Administration to not attack national monument designations

• Get more involved:  If this interests you, the Grassroots Network of Sierra Club has several interest groups that any member can join.

 

Susan Eastwood is the Communications Chair for Sierra Club Connecticut.