Public Lands

Supreme Court ruling may impact NEPA use

The U.S. Supreme Court made a landmark decision on May 27 that may streamline the process of how proposed projects on federal land are approved. The court upheld the federal environmental review of the Uinta Basin Railway, opening the door for the construction of the 88-mile rail line that would...

Map of the Velvet-Wood and Slick Rock projects. Image from Anfield Energy report

Velvet-Wood mine application approved

The Department of Interior has approved the reopening of a uranium mine in Lisbon Valley. On May 23 the Department of Interior (DOI) announced the approvals for Canadian based Anfield energy to operate the Velvet-Wood mines in Lisbon Valley. The approval came just 11 days after the department...

Velvet-Wood uranium mine project fast-tracked in San Juan County

The Department of Interior has fast-tracked the approval process to reopen a uranium mine in Lisbon Valley. On May 12, the Department of Interior (DOI) announced the use of emergency procedures as part of a national energy emergency declared by President Trump on January 20, 2025. The procedures...

Telecom tower proposed near La Sal Jct to improve cellular service

The Bureau of Land Management is seeking public input on a proposed telecommunications facility located on Black Ridge in San Juan County, approximately 10 miles south of Moab. The 15-day public scoping period lasts through May 8, 2025. The BLM will hold an in-person public meeting on April 30 from...

BLM asks climbers to protect raptors in Indian Creek

The Bureau of Land Management urges climbers and outdoor recreationists to avoid certain areas in Indian Creek from March through late summer to protect nesting raptors. Falcons, eagles and hawks return annually to nest on cliffs and rock walls, and human disturbance can jeopardize their success....

Entrance sign to Bears Ears National Monument. Courtesy photo

Bears Ears boundary will be revisited

An order for a review of national monument boundaries, including the Bears Ears National Monument, is underway at the US Department of Interior. The review is part of a secretarial order from new Trump administration appointee for the department of the interior secretary Doug Burgum. The order,...

Bears Ears Management Plan Finalized

BLM, USFS update management plan for Bears Ears National Monument Final plan supports recreation, grazing, and Tribal co-stewardship of remarkable cultural landscape MONTICELLO, Utah — Today the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service announced approval of the...

Climber hangs upside down for four hours

by Bill Boyle San Juan Record Editor A man from Colorado was rescued after hanging upside down by his right foot for more than four hours on October 27 on the south face of North Six Shooter Peak. A complicated search and rescue effort, involving a tremendous amount of equipment, training,...

The new “rapid” in Cataract Canyon was created when sediment slumped into the Colorado River. Courtsy photo

Sediment creates new small Cataract rapid

Major sediment slump changes conditions in Cataract Canyon Another major sediment slump in Cataract Canyon has altered water flow in the main channel and created a new small rapid. The slump occurred in Narrow Canyon at river mile 175.1 sometime between Oct 25th and Oct 29th. Approximately 300-350...

Cowboy Camp theft results in charges

Two Colorado residents have been charged by misdemeanor information, alleging they trespassed, disrupted, and stole from the historic Cave Springs Cowboy Camp in Canyonlands National Park. According to court documents, on March 23, 2024, Roxanne McKnight, 39, and Dusty Spencer, 43, of Durango, CO,...