Ivins • Whenever Lawrence Snow rounds a bend on eastbound Highway 91 and the Red Mountains and the reservation that has been his lifelong home come into view, he knows he is on sacred ground, and has a duty to protect it.
“It feels spiritual and does something to one’s soul to see all those red colors and that magnificent Red Mountain,” Snow said. “When I was young, everyone on the reservation was taught you don’t go to the base of Red Mountain without permission because it is a spiritual place and that’s where the spirits go.”
Snow, who is land resource manager for the Shivwits Band of Paiutes Reservation, and others are now seeing red over a planned joint venture between the band and Black Desert Resort to build a massive sports, tourism and retail complex on 1,250 acres of tribal land west of St. George.
As announced in an October news release, Shivwits and resort officials will manage the enterprise that will include golf courses, a youth sports complex, a cultural museum, shopping, dining and a hotel and create 135 jobs. But tribal leaders have been reticent about revealing specifics about what the resort will include and the financial arrangement between the two groups.
Angered by what they say is a lack of transparency and the prospect of hordes of tourists descending on the Red Mountain land and desecrating graves and other sacred sites, Snow and some other Shivwits have banded together to try and inform the public — and if possible, kill the deal.
Among other allegations, members of the group accuse Shivwits elected officials of acting too hastily, keeping band members in the dark about the resort and the partnership and neglecting their responsibility to be wise stewards of the land.
“I think members of the [Shivwits] Band Council are not very business-savvy, and Black Desert is a big corporation with all these lawyers and is taking advantage of them,” Snow told The Tribune.
Growing opposition
(Robert Bolar) A drone shot of the area on the Shivwits Band of Paiutes Reservation west of St. George where a 1,250-acre resort is proposed.
Mary Snow, Lawrence’s daughter, said most Shivwits are opposed to what she called a “back-door deal,” adding that the band is now divided because tribal leaders are putting out a false narrative about group members and trying to sully their reputation.
“They stopped giving us services, answering the phone and are putting out to people that we oppose the resort because we don’t like them,” Mary Snow said.
Tina Gonzales, chair of the Shivwits Band Council, disputed the allegations, saying the joint venture came after a thorough 18-month review process that involved “community meetings, open dialogue with members and a band-wide survey outlining the proposed concept.”
“This was not a rushed decision,” Gonzales said in a statement to The Tribune. “It was a thoughtful process grounded in governance, transparency, and community consensus. This collaboration supports our goal of creating long-term ventures and is built on mutual respect and a shared vision. We are excited to be a co-steward in this project, ensuring that our heritage and values are woven into every aspect of the development.”
While the partners are not providing specific details about the resort, an internal document that was placed on the band’s website earlier this year said the resort could include as many as four golf courses, and an airfield in addition to the museum. All told, according to the document, the venture could provide the 322 members of the federally recognized tribe up to $149 million, much of which would come from leasing land and water rights to Black Desert for the resort.
The Snows said some of those details were in a power point presentation Black Desert shared with tribal members last April at the reservation’s community center, a meeting they said was adjourned early when it became clear that most band members present were opposed to a resort. Much has changed since that meeting, they noted.
Even now, the Snows said, band members still don’t know if a contract has been signed, what the financial terms are if one exists, or what projects have been agreed to.
“Every time we have asked what’s in the contract, they say, ‘We are not done yet’ and ‘changes are being made,’” Mary Snow said, adding most of what they learn they hear second hand from workers who live in St. George and have been hired to do projects on the reservation.
Lawrence Snow said he is worried that the band’s plan to lease the land and water for the resort for an extended period —potentially over 90 years, he said — is equivalent to selling out future generations.
Cultural concerns
(Chris Caldwell | Special to The Tribune) Joel Bushhead speaks to The Salt Lake Tribune in Santa Clara, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. Members of the Shivwits band of Paiutes near St. George discuss the impact proposed golf course developments would have on their tribal lands.
Gonzales argues otherwise, saying the partnership will strengthen the band’s ability to control development on the land and help support current and future generations.
“This land had been previously designated by the band for economic development projects, long before the current partnership discussions began,” she said in the statement. “The council’s decision reflects a balance of cultural stewardship and future community opportunity.”
Black Desert managing partner Patrick Manning also defended the partnership.
“We are committed to preserving and celebrating their rich heritage, and this entire project will stand as a model of responsible development,” he said in a statement. “We’re building a shared future that provides lasting economic and cultural benefits to the entire community. That includes job creation, workforce development, increased revenue for community services, and opportunities to reinvest in education, healthcare, housing, and cultural preservation.”
Joel Bushhead said he sees little evidence of that from the workers he sees riding around in the ATVs and putting in survey stakes. He said he has had to rebury pottery and a body part unearthed by the workers.
“They are desecrating the graves of the dead people who are buried there,” Bushhead said. “I can’t really do nothing because I’m an old man, and they won’t listen to me.”
Sabrina Redfoot, another member of the tribe, said Paiute artifacts in the ground belong where they are, not in the proposed museum. She and other resort opponents say they want to rally public opposition and ensure members of the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah’s five bands — Cedar, Indian Peaks, Kanosh, Koosharem, and Shivwits — know about the resort.
“We’ll continue to grow Red Mountain resistance and get out there with picket signs and protest this,” Mary Snow said. “Even if it is too late, we want our voices to be heard.”
Gonzales and Manning pledge to continue engaging with band members and plan to conduct a detailed and rigorous environmental review and cultural study of the site, according to a joint statement.