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The Monument protects an array of natural treasures in a broad expanse of desert wilderness in Utah's vast canyon country. Grand Staircase Escalante is known for its extraordinary natural beauty, unprecedented recreational opportunities, and irreplaceable evidence of prehistoric life.

Remote as the area seems, Grand Staircase- Escalante faces threats from overgrazing, uncontrolled off-vehicle (ORV) use, and lack of adequate funding. Since being established, politicians have sought to weaken the protection accorded this special place.

Officials in Kane County, Utah, have recently begun placing road signs on faint jeep trails that have been closed by the Bureau of Land Management implying that these routes are open to motorized travel. Not only are these signs a direct challenge to BLM authority, but by drawing unknowing visitors into the monument backcountry, Kane County's signage puts the public at risk and invites damage to sensitive natural and cultural resources.

The county has so far defied the order of the BLM's Utah State Director to remove the signs. Recently, Sierra Club volunteers have photographed and mapped the location of illegal road signs in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. This is part of a Sierra Club campaign to build public support for encouraging the BLM to enforce the law and protect this piece of our natural heritage.

For more information contact Lawson LeGate, Sierra Club, 801-467-9294 or lawson.legate@sierraclub.org.