Senate advances bill letting state parks negotiate Little Sahara designation; Rockwell Natural Area could be named in honor of late Rep. Bill Orton

The Utah Senate moved House Bill 95 forward after a presentation by its floor sponsor, authorizing the Division of State Parks to begin negotiations with land managers and evaluate whether the Little Sahara Recreation Area can be converted to a state park.

Senator Okerlund told the Senate the bill allows the Division of State Parks to negotiate with groups that control land in the Little Sahara Recreation Area — primarily the U.S. Bureau of Land Management — and to assess whether a state park would be financially viable, including costs for law enforcement and whether current grazing allotments can be maintained. He said the Division would present any proposal to the Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment Interim Committee and the Legislative Management Committee for review.

The sponsor also said that, if the proposal is accepted, the process would rely on the Recreation and Public Purpose Act of 1954 for land acquisition. As part of the designation package, the Rockwell Natural Area would be designated as a state wilderness area and named in honor of the late Congressman Bill Orton. Senator Okerlund invited Jackie Orton, the congressman’s widow, to the floor during the presentation.

Why it matters: The bill starts a negotiation and assessment process that could shift management of federal lands to state control for a park designation, with implications for recreation, grazing allotments and local economies. The Rockwell Natural Area's designation as a state wilderness would be the state's first under the 2014 State Wilderness Act, according to the sponsor’s description on the floor.

Sponsor remarks and context: "As per our discussion yesterday, HB 95 is a bill that allows the division of the state parks to begin negotiating with groups that currently control land in the Little Sahara Recreation Area," Senator Okerlund said on the floor. He described the negotiation as involving the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and the Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration and said roughly half of Utah State Parks have been acquired from federal government land in similar fashions.

Next steps: The sponsor moved for final passage on the floor and the clerk recorded the vote; the bill passed and will be sent to the House for further consideration as reflected by the chamber’s signature and transmission procedures.

The Senate recessed and returned later in the day to continue third-reading business and other pending matters.