

Public Lands
Public lands are the backbone of Southern Utah’s identity, offering iconic landscapes, vital habitats, and spaces for recreation and reflection. These lands not only define our region’s character but also support our communities and ecosystems, making their protection a shared responsibility.
As development and population growth accelerate, public lands face mounting threats. Safeguarding these spaces is essential—not just for preserving their beauty, but for maintaining the ecological balance and cultural heritage that sustain our way of life.

Program Goals
The Public Lands Program aims to safeguard and enhance the integrity of Southern Utah’s public lands for the benefit of current and future generations. This includes efforts to:
-
Advocate for responsible management and protection of public lands.
-
Defend against harmful developments and policies that threaten conservation areas.
-
Promote sustainable recreation that balances access with preservation.
-
Empower the community to participate in the stewardship of public lands.

Become a part of the solution.
Stop the Northern Corridor Highway
CSU has spent nearly two decades advocating for better alternatives to the Northern Corridor Highway. This four-lane highway through Red Cliffs National Conservation Area would destroy critical desert tortoise habitat, cut across popular trails, and ultimately worsen traffic.
Permanently Protect Greater Moe's Valley
In 2024, the Utah Lands Trust Administration (SITLA) began soliciting development proposals for their land in the Greater Moe's Valley area. Rich in biological, cultural, and recreational resources, this land holds immense community value and deserves permanent protection.
Learn About the Land
Understanding the land is the first step to protecting it. Explore studies and join us for educational hikes that reveal the rich history, ecology, and cultural significance of Southern Utah’s landscapes.
Public Lands Resources
Featured Study: In 2024 Conserve Southwest Utah commissioned a study on the critical Mojave Desert Tortoise population in the Red Cliffs National Conservation Area.
Other Resources:

Land Acknowledgment
Conserve Southwest Utah (CSU) acknowledges that southwest Utah is the traditional homeland of the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah including the Cedar, Indian Peaks, Kanosh, Koosharem and Shivwits Bands. Since time immemorial, the Southern Paiute people have been protectors of the plants, animals, water and earth in what is today called southwest Utah. This cultural landscape is still very much alive with sacred places, plants and animals, like the desert tortoise. As an organization dedicated to protecting natural and cultural resources in southwest Utah, CSU acknowledges, honors, and deeply respects the sovereignty of the homelands of the Southern Paiute people. CSU actively seeks collaborative partnerships with the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah and other communities that are ancestral stewards of this land, and is committed to amplifying Indigenous perspectives in conservation.
​
Learn more about our partnerships with local Tribes:
-
Ancestral Homelands Conservation Internship
-
Native American Heritage Month Presentation Listen to the Land: Southern Paiute Language, History and Homelands by Karma Grayman