Mormons Are Among the Few Who Want Less Federally Protected Land. Their History Explains Why.
For The Washington Post, Christine Colbert, whose ancestors were some of the first Mormons, explains why many Mormon lawmakers and constituents are opposed to government control of land. She writes, “My pioneer ancestors believed that Utah was their promised land, given to them by God to use, and that they were supposed to improve upon nature, letting none of it go to waste.” Colbert adds, “The idea that Utah’s public land should be controlled by the progeny of a small group of white settlers is alive and well among some modern-day Mormons, and they support acquiring federal land as an effort to ‘take back’ what they believe is rightfully theirs.”