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SALT LAKE CITY — Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke surprised many Tuesday evening when he opened the Days of ’47 rodeo with prepared remarks and a horse ride around the arena.
"I've been to a lot of rodeos in my life and I gotta tell you, this rates No. 1," Zinke said, donning a black cowboy hat he waved to the crowd after being called on stage.
Zinke's visit follows a report Monday by the Washington Post that has raised new allegations of the department's bias against land protections in Utah. While the secretary did not directly address the controversy Tuesday night, Zinke did stand by his department's actions.
"Last year I was honored to be here with President Trump to sign proclamations to modify the boundaries of U.S. national monuments in the state," Zinke said. "These actions were based on the principle that access to our public land and uses is for everyone. No one understands this more than Utah."
Primarily, Zinke addressed religious freedom and Utah's Pioneer Day, which honors those who arrived in the Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847.
"Utah also understands that religious freedom is the cornerstone of American exceptionalism," Zinke said. "Today we remember the journey of the Mormon pioneers in 1847."
"He has pledged to safely, responsibly protect American public lands while ensuring that America's public natural resources continue to create jobs and wealth for the American people," Utah Gov. Gary Herbert said before bringing Zinke on stage.
During his introduction, Herbert outlined Zinke's experience — from serving as a congressman from Montana to his time as a Navy SEAL. Herbert, at one point, compared Zinke to former President Theodore Roosevelt, who is well-known for establishing America's national parks.
"Like Roosevelt, he appreciates the beauty and the productivity of our public lands," Herbert said.
The governor called on the crowd to give the secretary a "warm Utah Pioneer Day welcome," eliciting cheers and applause as Zinke climbed on stage.
Following his own remarks, Zinke read President Trump's Pioneer Day statement.
"Our nation honors the ingenuity, industry, and unwavering commitment to faith of all those who endured frontier hardships," Trump's statement said. "These pioneers worked tirelessly to transform the arid desert landscape into a blossoming new home where their families could live in peace and prosperity."
The crowd at Tuesday's rodeo gave Zinke as warm a welcome as Herbert's.
Amanda Smith, from St. George, didn’t know Zinke would be making an appearance at the event and was pleased to hear the message he brought from the White House.
“That was pretty cool to hear that President Trump recognized Pioneer Day as part of the growth of the nation,” she said.
Janyce and Lo Nestman, of North Salt Lake, were also surprised by Zinke's rodeo visit.
“I’m the daughter of a BLM man, I appreciate that (Zinke) took the time to come out and that the president acknowledged Utah,” Janyce Nestman said.
Following his prepared remarks, Zinke saddled up and rode a lap around the arena ahead of the governor’s carriage.
Some rodeogoers got to their feet to take pictures of Zinke as he raised a white-gloved hand to wave at the crowd.
Lo Nestman gave a big smile as he discussed Zinke’s participation in the rodeo’s opening parade.
“It’s fun having him here,” he said, adding that it would be nice if the high profile recognition of Utah’s Pioneer Day continued in future years.
Related story:
Monument review process comes under new fire
Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke's review of national monuments is under new criticism after a Washington Post story revealed internal documents showed a bias against monument protections. Critics say the documents reinforce it was a flawed process.Internal documents detailed by the Post's report Monday revealed Zinke and his aides preferred highlighting logging, ranching and energy development — dismissing tourism and archaeological discoveries — in the department's efforts to downsize national monuments.
The documents were released and then later redacted by the agency.
Both Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments in Utah were drastically reduced in the aftermath of Zinke's four-month review, which was initiated by an executive order issued by President Donald Trump.
"Since his initial efforts to eliminate Bears Ears National Monument and reduce Grand Staircase-Escalante, Zinke has sold out millions of acres of public lands in our state," Ashley Soitysiak, director of the Utah Sierra Club said in a prepared statement Tuesday. "Even those near places like Capitol Reef National Park, to the dirty fuel industry — and more are on the auction block.
"Continuing to ignore the historic, natural and economic significance of public lands is both dangerous and reckless," she said.
The Washington Post story details particular document redactions on Utah's two monuments that Trump reduced last December.
"In response to questions about Grand Staircase-Escalante, BLM wrote that 'less inventory' of cultural sites would have occurred without the 1996 monument designation, noting more than twice as many sites are now identified each year than before. 'More vandalism would have occurred without monument designation,' it states, noting four visitors centers were established to help protect the area," the Post reported.
Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, led the Utah congressional delegation's push to either have the monuments reduced or the designations rescinded altogether.
Before sitting in the stands to watch the rest of the rodeo, Zinke joined Herbert to hand out medals to rodeo competitors. Zinke placed the gold medal around the neck of Nevada bareback rider Wyatt Denny.
Contributing: McKenzie Romero
