SALT LAKE CITY — U.S. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell joined Mayor Ralph Becker on Thursday to announce Salt Lake City's part in a national initiative to connect children with nature and inspire the next generation of outdoor stewards to protect the nation's natural environment.

"This is about the future of public lands," Jewell said. "We have a very important role to play so that these young people have a chance to learn and appreciate just how much there is for them to not only enjoy, but also to protect for years to come."

Jewell's visit was set against a backdrop of political unrest, with Utah's top politicians worried that a new monument designation in Utah is a mere ink-stroke away under President Barack Obama's authority to shield Utah lands from development.

Thursday's announcement came a day after Jewell told the Deseret News and KSL editorial boards that she can't control the president's pen, but any plan to create a new national monument in Utah will be transparent and open to local input.

Jewell said she had also met with Gov. Gary Herbert on Wednesday to "reinforce" the idea that she welcomes ongoing conversations about Rep. Rob Bishop's Public Lands Initiative, which Utah's congressional delegation fears could be unraveled by Native American tribes pushing for a national conservation area to protect the Bears Ears region.

Monday, Herbert and Utah's congressional delegation sent letters to Jewell and Obama protesting the designation of a new monument in Utah and urging support of Bishop's initiative. Jewell said she's still waiting to see details of Bishop's plan, but she's looking forward to seeing it as soon as it's ready, "even if it's not fully baked," she said.

Herbert's spokesman, Jon Cox, said in a statement issued Thursday that during his meeting with Jewell, the governor "reiterated his opposition" to a unilateral national monument designation in Utah.

Cox said Herbert also expressed support for the Public Lands Initiative and "encouraged the Obama administration to engage as partners in the open, collaborative process with all stakeholders, including local, state, Native American, environmental, and business leaders."

At the heart of Jewell's announcement Thursday was a goal to ensure the future of public land protections — even long after the current administration is gone, she said — and raising a generation of children who appreciate the outdoors is key to accomplishing that effort.

"We have an interesting dilemma going on in the country today," Jewell said. "The average child is spending 56 hours a week in front of a screen and is only getting, if they're lucky, 30 minutes a week in unstructured play outside.

"So how are they going to know that there are great jobs as park rangers, wildlife biologists and scientists?" she said. "How are they going to know that these places are worth protecting? … How are they going to know that the environment also deserves a seat at the table if they've never been exposed?"

That's why 50 U.S. cities were chosen to participate in the nationwide movement, as part of first lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move! Outside initiative. Salt Lake is the 25th city to join the program.

The effort, funded as part of a $5 million contribution from the American Express Foundation, will provide two years of funding for the YMCA of Northern Utah to create a community coordinator position to facilitate collaboration and increase participation in outdoor programs on public lands in Salt Lake City.

Jewell also announced grants of more than $258,000 to organizations throughout Utah, including the Utah Conservation Corps, Grand Staircase Escalante Partners, River Restoration Adventures for Tomorrow, and the American Conservation Experience.

Other efforts to expand children's opportunities to connect with nature include the president's Every Kid in a Park initiative to provide all fourth-graders and their families with free admission to national parks and public lands for a full year.

"We want every child — no matter how urban they are, no matter where they live — to have that experience," Jewell said.

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Interior Secretary Sally Jewell addresses Utah monument fears

Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said flatly she doesn't control President Barack Obama's pen when it comes to any new monument designation in Utah, but she insists there's no plan to sneak around Utah and create one under the "cloak of darkness."

Becker thanked the Interior Department and its partners for selecting Salt Lake City, which he said has easy access to "underappreciated" natural areas such as the Jordan River, Wasatch Mountains and Great Salt Lake.

The morning before the announcement, Jewell had joined Becker for two hikes up Big Cottonwood Canyon. She has said that Mount Timpanogos, Zion National Park's Narrows and Delicate Arch are among her favorite hikes in Utah.

"Kids too often do not have experience associated with this incredible natural world around us," Becker said. "This effort of connecting kids to nature means there will be less screen time spent for kids and more time spent exploring the great outdoors."

After the announcement, Jewell and Becker joined a group of volunteers and YMCA summer camp children help clean up park areas around Jordan River.

"This is about a continuum, and it starts with play," Jewell said. "Just let them play. Let them climb a tree. … Let them have a good time, and that's what the YMCA is going to facilitate here in Salt Lake City on these beautiful public lands."

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