Morning Brief: Aug. 14, 2026

From KUER News in Salt Lake City, I'm Emily Pulsander. The Rocky Canyon fire has burned more than 15,000 acres in the Wasatch back. After several days of evacuations, most people can return home. KPCW's Connor Thomas reports. All Summit County residents evacuated due to the Rocky Canyon fire were allowed to return home Thursday afternoon. Authorities stress that the fire is still a threat and urge residents to stay prepared to leave again if conditions change. Only the north end of East Canyon State Park in Morgan County remains evacuated. The area is inaccessible because of road closures. Fire officials previously estimated that at least 500 people were under evacuations as the Rocky Canyon fire grew. Thousands of livestock were moved to safety as well. Some within the evacuation area decided not to leave Summit County Search and Rescue Operations Manager. Kanis Hart says that although the sheriff's office wants everyone to be safe, residents do have the right to refuse. Residents at the end of the day can decide what they want to do for themselves, so they stay or go. But every home we can assure was knocked on or contacted at least once. Fire crews have seen favorable weather in recent days with cloud cover, cooler temperatures, and rain. Connor Thomas KPCW News. A new federal plan for the Colorado River would make water levels at Lake Jerome Powell a priority. The Bureau of Reclamation wants it to stay above 3,500 feet. The Salt Lake Tribune reports that's just above the minimum level needed to produce hydropower. If the water dips too low, there could be damaged to Glen Canyon Dam. The plan also says Utah and other Upper Basin states and tribes will have equal access to store conserved water in Lake Jerome Powell. That stored water could be used to make deals with other users. This story comes to us from the Colorado River Collaborative. The Interior Department is reviewing how millions of acres of public land are managed under federal wilderness policies. Officials say the changes could give people more access for recreation, but as the Mountain West News Bureau's Rachel Cohen reports, conservation groups are raising concerns. The policies oversee designated wilderness, some of the most protected public lands, where motorized vehicles and equipment are generally banned. They also cover wilderness study areas, places that could one day receive wilderness designation from Congress.

Michael Carroll is with the advocacy group, the Wilderness Society. He says the review is broad and could change how these lands are managed. Our deep concern is that they're going to basically change those regulations to allow more development. more road building, more access to these wild places. But some recreation groups say lands without an official wilderness designation are just locked up while awaiting Congress. They want more access for things like off-road vehicles. For the Mountain West News Bureau, I'm Rachel Cohen. Today's The Last Day for Public Comment on the Wilderness Policy Review at regulations.gov. A free shuttle to connect Moab and Arches National Park is getting closer to reality. Grand County Commissioners reached an agreement with the Park Service to start the pilot in September. It will be free to ride and the system is backed by nearly $3 million in local and federal dollars. The first season will scope out peak visitor times, upkeep costs, and routes. Shuttles will run through October and then start up again March through June. Then local and federal officials will determine whether the pilot program should keep going for a second season. You are listening to KUER News.