by Todd Wilkinson
In these times swirling with angsty uncertainty about the future of the West, never has there been a more necessary moment for people to come together and assess where we’re at.
For three decades, the annual non-partisan Wallace Stegner Center Symposium at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City has fulfilled this role by serving as a venture for thoughtful convergence. Its 2026 version, titled “America’s Public Lands: At a Crossroads,” may be the most important yet. It is happening on Thursday March 19 and Friday March 20 at the University of Utah’s S. J. Quinney College of Law.
For citizens, business leaders, conservationists, public land managers, ranchers, farmers, hunters, anglers, tourism and recreation interests, it should be considered a must attend even if you don’t live in the West. (Fortunately, you can watch via livestream). Experts and national thought leaders representing dozens of different perspectives are taking part in panel discussions and keynote lectures. The line up is quite extraordinary.
From the future of public lands and questions involving resource to the fate of the dying Great Salt Lake, water allocation in the Colorado River Basin, challenges facing local communities, indigenous rights and wildlife protection, the symposium promises to be a galvanizing, non polarizing event for all who love this region incomparable in the world.
The S.J. Quinney College of Law and its Wallace Stegner Center for Land, Resources and the Environment is renowned for having resident faculty, scholars and alums who have been at the forefront of pondering the legal realm of public land policy serving asa superstructure for how we conceptualize “the West.” Lots of people from Greater Yellowstone, whom we respect at Yellowstonian, will lead or take part in discussions.
One of the lively topics to which Yellowstonian has devoted much editorial coverage in recent years is the growth of outdoor recreation as an economic juggernaut and a bonafide industry affecting wildlife and the wild character of public lands. I will join a panel discussion on outdoor recreation that begins at 4 pm on Thursday, March 19. Both days are filled with discussions you don’t want to miss. You can gain more information about the symposiumby clicking here. If one cannot travel to Salt Lake livestream links when be provided when you register.
Agenda – Day 1 (Thursday, March 19)
7:30 a.m. — Registration and Continental Breakfast
8:30 a.m. — Welcome and Introductions
- Elizabeth Kronk Warner, University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law
- Lincoln Davies, University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law
8:50 a.m. — Revisiting Our Public Land Heritage (Stegner Lecture)
- Bob Keiter, University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law
9:35 a.m. — The Critical Role Tribes Play in the Management of America’s Public Lands
- Natalie Landreth, Nashoba Consulting
10:15 a.m. — Break
10:45 a.m. — What’s New in the West? Changing Policy, Economies, and Communities
- Mark Haggerty, Center for American Progress
11:25 a.m. — How Are the Politics Surrounding Public Lands Changing, and What Might It Mean for the Future
- John Leshy, UC Law San Francisco
12:05 p.m. — Lunch
1:05 p.m. — Mining and Critical Minerals (panel discussion)
- Moderator Jamie Pleune, University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law
- Melissa Barbanell, World Resources Institute
- Kristi Disney Bruckner, Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA)
- Steve Feldgus, Department of the Interior (ret.)
2:20 p.m. — Break
2:45 p.m. — Preservation of Public Lands (panel discussion)
- Moderator John Ruple, University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law
- Kirti Datla, Earthjustice
- Andrew Mergen, Harvard Law School
- Scott Miller, The Wilderness Society
4:00 p.m. — Recreation on Public Lands (panel discussion)
- Nada Wolff Culver, Nashoba Consulting
- Ashley Korenblat, Public Lands Solution and Western Spirit Cycling
- Megan Lawson, Headwaters Economics
- Todd Wilkinson, Journalist, Author, and Lecturer
- Moderator Beth Parker, University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law
5:15 p.m. — Concluding Remarks
- Lincoln Davies, University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law
Agenda – Day 2 (Friday, March 20)
8:00 a.m. — Registration and Continental Breakfast
8:30 a.m. — Welcome
- Brig Daniels, University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law
8:45 a.m. — Forests, Fire, and Roads (panel discussion)
- Bill Anderegg, University of Utah School of Biological Sciences and Wilkes Center for Climate Science and Policy
- Garrett Rose, Natural Resources Defense Council
- Jonathan Wood, Property and Environment Research Center
- Blake Hudson, Cumberland School of Law, Samford University
- Moderator Ruhan Nagra, University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law
10:00 a.m. — Break
10:30 a.m. — A Conversation with Sally Jewell
- Sally Jewell, former Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior (Keynote)
- Bob Keiter, University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law
11:20 a.m. — A Cowgirl’s Journey to Conservation
Heidi Redd, Dugout Ranch
11:40 a.m. — Energy on Public Lands (panel discussion)
- Moderator Lincoln Davies, University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law
- Kevin L. Baker, rPlus Hydro, LLC
- Eric Biber, UC Berkeley Law
- Emy Lesofski, Utah Office of Energy Development
- Pilar Thomas, Quarles & Brady LLP
- Elizabeth Kronk Warner, University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law
12:55 p.m. — Lunch
1:55 p.m. — A Conversation with Ryan Gellert
- Ryan Gellert, CEO, Patagonia (Keynote)
- Lauren Gustus, CEO, Salt Lake Tribune
2:45 p.m. — The Future and Utah Public Lands
- Moderator Brigham Daniels, University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law
- Ethan Blevins, Pacific Legal Foundation
- Steve Bloch, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance
- Jamie Harvey, San Juan County Commissioner
- Sally Jewell, U.S. Department of the Interior (ret.)
- Redge Johnson, Utah Public Lands Policy Coordinating Office
4:00 p.m. — Concluding Remarks
- Brigham Daniels, University of Utah S. J. Quinney College of Law
Directions
Yellowstonian‘s special report on impacts of outdoor recreation on wildlife and truly wild places
