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IN S IT E S
New LAEP/OPDD Field Course
MAY IN M OA B If Utah is rich in public lands, it is equally rich in conflicts
is inextricably tied to this economy. And what the state’s
over them. These fights have been made manifest since
economy cares about, designers care about, too.
the 60’s, stretching from the writings of eco-anarchist/ author/sage Edward Abbey to the speeches of Pres. Ronald
This past May, Professors Sean Michale and Jake Powell
Reagan to the bombast of Bureau of Reclamation chief
joined with colleagues from across USU to teach a new
Floyd Dominy. Of late, modern inheritors of the Sagebrush
3-week field course in Moab focused on the complex
Rebellion, as captured by media coverage of Nevada rancher
dynamic surrounding public lands, gateway communities
Cliven Bundy’s exploits, have brought the nation’s attention
and the role of design in solving their dilemmas. A dozen
back to western public lands. Loggerheads over the same
students left Logan after Commencement, taking up
issues reached new proportions with the redrawing of Bears
residence in tents beneath the looming Wingate Sandstone
Ears National Monument’s boundaries by Pres. Trump’s
cliffs of Spanish Valley. Based at ACT Campground, a
administration.
sustainable facility featuring straw-bale construction, geothermal heating, rainwater harvesting and solar power
The quandary that public lands present for the outdoor
generation, the group resided not a ¼ mile from USU’s future
economy is felt in Utah as profoundly as any state, perhaps
Moab campus.
with the exception of Alaska. From the fight over Salt Lake City hosting the Outdoor Retailer Show, to the mass seasonal arrival/exodus of tourists, our state’s well-being
