PRESCOTT, Ariz. — A group of military veterans - including a representative from Arizona - are in Washington, D.C., this week to meet with members of Congress about preserving America's wilderness areas.

The veterans delivered letters urging members to pass a package of bills aimed at protecting many of the nation's forests, canyons, deserts and wild and scenic rivers. Brian Stultz, an Army veteran and stewardship director for the Arizona Wilderness Coalition, said pristine public lands can be therapeutic places for former service members.

"Personally, I have a lot of friends that are struggling with PTSD and have found great solitude in going out to wilderness areas and having that rejuvenation effect on their mental status and their psychological well-being,” Stultz said.

The veterans are advocating for the passage of protections for wilderness areas in Arizona, as well as hundreds of others across the country. The measures before Congress would permanently protect 1.3 million acres of wilderness, 395 miles of wild and scenic river, and 713,000 acres with conservation designations. The veterans are hoping to convince lawmakers to pass the legislation before their current term ends in December.

Stultz, who is also a guide for commercial and educational river trips in the Southwest, said he spends more time sleeping out under the stars than in his Prescott home. He said veterans - many with emotional scars from combat - find camaraderie with fellow former service members in exploring the wilderness.

"So we get a group of 15 or so veterans together and give them the space to kind of talk in that veteran language,” he said; “and at the same time, just enjoy being out there and experiencing those wild places."

Stultz said there are 4.5 million acres of wilderness in Arizona. He said wilderness areas need to be protected from development such as roads and motorized vehicles, as well as commercial development, in order to keep Arizona's wild areas wild.

The group will be in the nation's capital through Wednesday.

Support for this reporting was provided by The Pew Charitable Trusts.


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Over the last 120 years, U.S. presidents have used the Antiquities Act almost 300 times to recognize national monuments, protecting portions of federal lands that are of particular historic or scientific importance. Now federal efforts are underway to limit that power and "review" monuments. The Big Hole National Battlefield and Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument are two of several areas in Montana designated by a president's authority. Unlike other federal public lands, national monuments are typically not open for oil and gas drilling or mining activities.

Mike Penfold, program leader of the historical preservation group Our Montana, calls the Antiquities Act "a wonderful asset."

"We've got a really good ability for Republican and Democratic presidents to respond to local and sometimes regional people who see special qualities in these areas of federal land," he said.

U.S. House Resolution 521, referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources last month, seeks to reserve the authority to establish or extend national monuments for Congress. Meanwhile, Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum began his tenure detailing a plan for "American energy dominance" that includes an order to, quote, "review and, as appropriate, revise all withdrawn public lands, consistent with existing law."

Penfold, Our Montana and other groups have been working to get a national monument designation for part of the Pryor Mountains, an area with fragmented management split among three federal agencies. Part of the range is within the boundaries of the Crow Reservation. A national monument designation could help unify management.

"It's an amazing area that has a lot of cultural resources and different kinds of ecological systems. So we were hoping to get that designated as a national monument," he continued. "That is not in the cards right now."

Penfold added that national monuments help drive Montana's tourism industry, which in 2023 brought in about 13 million people who spent nearly $5.5 billion.


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Wyoming is one of several Western states where some lawmakers arguing states should have more control of the federally managed public lands within their borders, many of which contain oil, gas and mineral reserves.

Wyoming House Bill 118 would prohibit Wyomingites and the state from entering into any exchange or sale leading to a net gain for federal agencies of either land or mineral rights.

Gabrielle Yates, public land program manager for the Wyoming Outdoor Council, said the bill runs counter to state policies, which mandate lands be managed for "optimum, sustainable revenue production" and recognize land values are assessed by more than just acreage.

"House Bill 118 would hinder future access opportunities by limiting common sense land deals, while hurting the rights of landowners to sell their land to whoever they choose," Yates contended.

The push for legislation comes after the U.S. Supreme Court last month declined to hear a Utah lawsuit arguing control of public land by the Bureau of Land Management within its borders is unconstitutional. Wyoming, Alaska and Idaho issued an amicus brief in support of Utah's case. House Bill 118 passed the House and could be in a Senate committee as early as this week.

Senate Joint Resolution 2, which failed a third reading in the Senate by just two votes, would have demanded Congress transfer all public land and subsurface resources in Wyoming to the state. Yates pointed out it failed after an "overwhelming" number of Wyomingites spoke out against it.

"Several senators spoke to the fact that this issue was what their constituents were most passionate about this session," Yates reported. "People in Wyoming really value their public lands."

She noted sales of Wyoming trust lands benefit schools and students, like the $100 million sale of the 640-acre Kelly Parcel added to Grand Teton National Park in December.


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Groups that fight to protect public lands are criticizing the Trump administration's new review of all oil, gas and mining on public lands.

National monuments in California protect about 4 million acres of land.

New U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has ordered a 15-day internal review of these sites, which conservation groups warn could be a first step toward altering their boundaries to allow fossil-fuel and mineral extraction. And yet, Daniel Hart, director of clean-energy and climate-resiliency policy at the National Parks Conservation Association, said this would do little to address the "energy emergency" recently declared by President Donald Trump.

"The timeline from starting a lease sale until oil and gas is pumping, and then refined and into the markets, is a long time," he said. "It would not immediately do anything to lower gas prices."

In the past, Carrizo Plain National Monument on the central coast has been eyed for oil and gas development. Other national monuments in California whose boundaries could be re-evaluated include the two newest, Chuckwalla and Sattitla, along with 13 others across the state.

Hart said these public lands are crucial for wildlife habitat and recreation. He pointed out that they pump billions of dollars into the outdoor economy.

"They protect both natural and cultural resources. They are a great place for our shared histories," he said. "But also, there's a public benefit: They support the outdoor recreation economy, especially in rural states."

Across the United States, 24 million acres of public land are already leased to oil and gas companies for fossil-fuel extraction, with more than 12 million acres under active drilling. The NPCA says key monuments outside of California that risk losing protections include Devils Tower in Wyoming and the Dinosaur and Hovenweep national monuments in Utah.