Moab, UTAH — Who gets to do what on federal land is an ages-old battle in the West, especially Utah, where roughly 70% of the state is owned by Uncle Sam. People from the world over flock to public land here, with its jaw dropping red rock canyons, arches and ancient petroglyphs. Its petrified sand dunes are a beacon for thrill seeking off-roaders and mountain bikers.
"It’s amazing, it’s really cool," says Isaac Hamlen, after a ride on the famous Slickrock trail outside Moab, the West's self-described outdoor adventure capitol. Hamlen and Will Burger are on a road trip camping on federal public land and visiting Utah's famous national parks and monuments. The state has five national parks, including nearby Arches and Canyonlands as well as nine national monuments, including those controversially established by presidents Clinton and Obama, Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bear's Ears.
"We learned about all that stuff our first semester of college. And it really drove home the importance of public land," Burger says. But the recent monument designations and road closures with an eye toward protecting the environment in increasingly busy areas have fueled resentment that’s been smoldering in Utah since the Mormon Pioneers arrived.
Now in its latest legal salvo with the federal government, the state's Republican leaders are hoping the high court's conservative justices will continue to overturn long-established legal precedents. A landmark lawsuit filed directly before the .