Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance
“To preserve outstanding wilderness at the heart of the Colorado Plateau.”
The origin
How they started
The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance has one obsession: defending Utah’s redrock from oil and gas, off-road vehicles, and road claims. Citizen activists founded it in 1983 after the BLM lowballed the state’s wilderness-quality land by roughly five million acres. Its signature push is America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act, first introduced in 1989 and reintroduced every Congress since, and SUWA fought hard over Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante.
Every year they sign one sentence and file it with the federal government: “The preservation of the outstanding wilderness at the heart of the Colorado Plateau and Utahs West Desert, and the management of these lands in their natural state for the benefit of all Americans.”
Where the money went, FY2024
The work, and what it cost
Keeping wilderness wild
$3.4MDistributed prepared bulletins and researched wilderness topics. Examined laws and policies that control these resources and provided information gained to the public.
Including $873,961 granted onward, most of it $850,000 to Stewardship Utah Foundation.
Read it as they filed it
WILDERNESS Distributed prepared bulletins and researched wilderness topics. Examined laws and policies that control these resources and provided information gained to the public. Facilitated citizen engagement with state and federal governmental agencies to educate decision-makers. Maintained and grew external communications with public through social media campaigns. Engaged with news media to educate the public and further build public support.
IRS Form 990 Part III, fiscal year 2024, signed under penalty of perjury.
Watching the machines
$1.1MResearched the legal framework for the ORV issue, performed on-the-ground surveys of ORV routes and use, and assessed agency compliance with federal statutes.
Read it as they filed it
OFF ROAD VEHICLE ORV Researched the legal framework for the ORV issue, performed on-the-ground surveys of ORV routes and use, and assessed agency compliance with federal statutes. Educated the public, media and decision-makers on the potential impacts of ORV use on natural and cultural resources on public lands, and various feasible and reasonable solutions.
IRS Form 990 Part III, fiscal year 2024, signed under penalty of perjury.
Reading every lease sale
$322KResearched issues related to federal approvals for oil and gas development, public health and environmental protection.
Read it as they filed it
Researched issues related to federal approvals for oil and gas development, public health and environmental protection. There was an emphasis on issues related to air and water quality, wildlife habitat and special emphasis areas. Tracked leasing of public lands for oil, gas and coal and determined where sensitive values may be compromised by this leasing. Summarized and provided this information to the public through paper and electronic medium.
IRS Form 990 Part III, fiscal year 2024, signed under penalty of perjury.
Follow the dollar
92 cents of every dollar goes to the work
That ratio is a good sign, not a scorecard. Plenty of great groups run leaner and lumpier. What matters is the extremes, and Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance is nowhere near one.
$5,325,741 programs, $260,185 management, $192,762 fundraising. Form 990, FY2024.
The people
Who does the work
Took the helm from Scott Groene, who drew $185,874 in the final year on file.
Honesty note: leadership comes from each year’s federal filing, so it can run a year behind. This one caught a changing of the guard in the act: the FY2024 officer table lists Scott Groene, the return itself is signed by Scott Braden. Orgs that claim their page can update it same-day. Work at SUWA? Claim this page.
Those 338 volunteers are people who decided this ground was theirs to defend. If SUWA is fighting for your place too, the matchmaker will find your way in.
Make it 339The record
The court record
And 9 more in our case database: a selection we track, not their full docket.
14 years of filings
Total revenue by fiscal year, as filed. Point at the line for any year.
| Year | Revenue |
|---|---|
| 2011 | $1,933,354 |
| 2012 | $2,257,622 |
| 2013 | $2,974,638 |
| 2014 | $3,457,351 |
| 2015 | $3,411,912 |
| 2016 | $3,513,166 |
| 2017 | $5,410,215 |
| 2018 | $5,366,086 |
| 2019 | $6,400,506 |
| 2020 | $5,578,015 |
| 2021 | $8,874,385 |
| 2022 | $4,451,167 |
| 2023 | $5,318,667 |
| 2024 | $12,670,430 |
From $1.9M in 2011 to $12.7M in FY24, with no missed filing in 14 years. The 2024 peak of $12.7M reads like one-time gifts, so trust the line, not the peak.
Fights alongside National Parks Conservation Association (4 shared cases), Center for Biological Diversity (3 shared cases), Earthjustice (3 shared cases), National Wildlife Federation (3 shared cases) and Friends of the Earth (2 shared cases) and 17 more. Same case, same side, on the federal docket.
The record
On the Hill
Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance has hired federal lobbyists: 3 filings in 2026. The filings, at the Senate.
Most filed on natural resources.
Their ground
The places they defend
Sued BLM in August 2024 to void 51 reaffirmed oil and gas leases in the San Rafael Desert, including one in the heart of the Labyrinth Canyon Wilderness carved by the Green River.
Who’s defending it On the groundBears Ears National MonumentUtah’s wilderness watchdog, defending these canyons since long before the monument existed
Who’s defending it On the groundGrand Staircase-EscalanteHas defended the Escalante canyons since before the monument existed
Who’s defending itSee every threatened place on one map, and who stands for each.
Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance files 3 related organizations on its return: Rup INC (501c4), Rural Utah Project Education Fund (501c3) and Stewardship Utah (501c4). A related organization shares people or purpose; it does not share the books.
The Utah congressional delegation averages 3 of 100 on public lands. See the full scorecard
Ways in
How to help
92 cents of your dollar goes straight to the work above.
Give on their site ↗Show upVolunteer with themVolunteer days and projects, on the ground. Be one of the 338.
Volunteer with them ↗SpeakComment and callOpen comment windows and call scripts for fights like these, ready to send.
Public Lands Action NetworkFollowFollow the monumentsBears Ears and Grand Staircase, tracked as they move. Alerts when it matters.
Monument WatchStand with Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance
43 years on the ground, 338 volunteers, 4 live lawsuits, 92 cents of every dollar on the line. That is who is holding it. There is room for one more.