Around the Counter with Molly & Alma

Visual Storytelling, Grassroots Power, and Utah Public Lands. How Photos, Plus Codes, and Local Power Are Saving Utah’s Public Lands. Executive Summary: In this episode of Around the Counter with Molly & Friends, host Molly Jones sits down with Alma Baste, visual storyteller and public lands policy associate at Stewardship Utah. Together, they explore how photography and creative narrative bridge the gap between urban Utahn perspectives and rural communities. Alma shares on-the-ground experiences from her grassroots organizing on the Navajo Nation—from implementing open-source "plus codes" to solve rural voter registration challenges to supporting local Indigenous leaders like Daylene Redhorse in building long-term community power.The discussion moves beyond false political choices to examine the real-world mechanics of public lands policy, including rural economic diversification, federal PILT (Payments in Lieu of Taxes) tax funding, and the balance between outdoor recreation and conservation. Alma breaks down the vital role of Indigenous co-management, Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK), and the key distinctions between tribal coalitions and government advisory commissions in preserving sacred landscapes like Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante. Key Takeaways: Visual Storytelling as a Policy Tool: Capturing everyday rural moments and vast natural landscapes connects urban audiences to rural issues through shared human experiences and visual empathy.Plus Codes Grant Electoral Representation: Utilizing plus codes in remote areas of the Navajo Nation provided precise geographic coordinates, correcting precinct mislabeling and empowering voters to elect the first Navajo-majority county commission.PILT Taxes Offset Rural Infrastructure Costs: Federal Payments in Lieu of Taxes ($53.4M awarded to Utah in 2026) replace local property tax revenue on public lands, helping rural counties fund critical services like search-and-rescue and road maintenance.Indigenous Co-Management and TEK: Integrating Traditional Ecological Knowledge alongside federal land management prioritizes long-term environmental stewardship, cultural access, and sustainable resource use over simple extraction or consumerism.Shared Ground in Outdoor Recreation: Hunters, anglers, climbers, and backpackers share a core desire for preserved open spaces, opening up opportunities for collaboration when policy discussions move past outrage rhetoric. *Executive Summary and key takeaways generated by AI and edited by humans. Podcast is purely human. Thanks for pulling up a stool. Want to grab a glass and join the conversation? Here’s how: * Love it: Hit that heart button to show you like this post. * Join the Conversation: We’d love to hear your thoughts on today’s piece. * Restack: Share this out to your personal feed to help us expand our reach. * Share the warmth: If this resonated, feel free to forward it to a friend. We can also be found on Instagram, Threads, YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts. Or, check out our 2026 midterm election prediction model, Tiny Model. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit aroundthecounter.substack.com