Digging Deeper for Solutions/ Bear Essentials 8/1/2019

Impacts on the West and San Juan County

San Juan River at Sunset by Jeri Maryboy

~~ San Juan County Fair Starts this Friday, Aug. 3

~~ Commissioners Vote to End Gerrymandering Appeal

~~ No Futher Action on Redistricting Appeal  KUER

~~ Supreme Court Decisions and Local Implications        

~~ Utah to Take More Prominent Role in Managing State    Forests

~~ Moab Bans New Lodging

~~Fowlks to lead Western Fish, Wildlife group

~~Bears Ears Summer Gathering

~~ Transfer of Fed BLM Office to the West: An Idea Whose Time Has Come 

"The BLM has never belonged in Washington DC. It manages 247 million acres, almost half of all public lands, and 700 million acres of mineral rights, with a unique mission. The National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, and Forest Service, for instance, all have very specific uses, but the BLM is tasked with managing its lands for multiple uses, in numerous categories and under a wide variety of laws.

That includes 18,000 grazing permits, 220 wilderness areas, 27 national monuments, 600 National Conservation Areas, 200,000 miles of streams, 2,000 miles of Wild and Scenic Rivers, 6,000 miles of National Scenic Trails, 63,000 oil and gas wells, 25,000 mines, and 50 million acres of forests. Not a square inch of that is in Washington, D.C. It is in 12 western states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. It has never made sense for the leadership to work 2,000 miles away, insulated by the inevitably different perspectives of life inside the Beltway."

~~  No Black and White Easy Solutions in San Juan County   Canyon Zephyr

~~ Native Woman Warns of Dangers of Socialism  Video

~~ Conservative Lawyer Named BLM Deputy Director of Policy 

"Pendley is a prolific author. Among his books is “Warriors for the West: Fighting Bureaucrats, Radical Groups, and Liberal Judges on America’s Frontier.” It chronicles the efforts of Western state leaders and residents to fight environmental laws, according to a profile of Pendley from the Property Rights Foundation of America.  Pendley is also wrote “War on the West: Government Tyranny on America’s Great Frontier” and “It Takes A Hero: The Grassroots Battle Against Environmental Oppression.”

~~ Moab/San Juan Needs a Truck Stop

~~ USDA To Help Fund Water System Upgrades in San Juan County

~~New Farm Bureau Agent in San Juan County

~~Photo/ Video Project Focuses on Navajo Shepherds

~~ Reliance on Foreign Mining/ Minerals Must End

~~ San Juan and Commissioners at at Monumental Divide  by Bill Keshlear

~~ Why We Can't Support Patagonia

~~ A "Hole" Lot of Problems with San Juan County Roads

~~ Getting to the Heart of the Recapture Canyon Debacle 

 . . ."I was interested in obtaining public documents related to the controversial “Recapture Canyon Protest Ride” on May 10, 2014. In fact, the story goes back even further, to 2006, when two San Juan County residents were accused and convicted of building an illegal ATV trail across public lands and damaging archaeological sites. The trail was closed by the BLM, subject to review.: Jim Stiles

~~ Grizzlies, Wolves, and Cattle Are a Poor Ecological Mix

~~ Environmental Groups Call for End of Uranium Waste in the West

~~ Federal Government Bungels Chaco Canyon Facility

~~ Environmentalists Blast SJC Bears Ears Management Plan

San Juan Record 7/31/2019

Celebrations, Census, Western Caucus, County Commission July 23--Bear Essentials 7/18/2019

Life in the Rural West

Monticello Set to Celebrate Pioneer Day

Photo by Karly Halls -- Monticello

~~SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMISSION MEETING July 23, Monticello

11:00 A.M. Commission Meeting
1. Executive Session to Discuss Pending or Imminent Litigation
2. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals Decision in Navajo Nation v. San Juan County Briefing & Possible Action

*San Juan County Commission can call a closed meeting at any time during the Regular Session*
 

~~ Farmers in Monticello Represented by Big Four in Pioneer Day Parade

~~ Canyon Country Discovery Center in Monticello Featured

~~ Four Reasons Why the Left is so Invested in the Census Debate

"A citizenship question was on the decennial census forms from 1820 to 1950. After that, it was only included on the long-form census form. In 2010, the question was removed entirely by the Obama administration. The question remains on the American Community Survey, an annual population canvass that the Census Bureau conducts."

~~Talks Underway with Utah Leaders to Strike Bears Ears Monument Deal 

~~ The Grand Staircase Story: Morality of Mining, No-compromise Environmentalists, Unreliable Sources"  by Bill Keshlear / Canyon Zephyr

~~  Grand Junction, Colorado Named as new BLM HeadQuarters; 

"Utah will gain 44 BLM staffers in a realignment that will move the agency's headquarters from Washington to Grand Junction, Colorado, the Department of Interior announced Tuesday."

~~ Western Caucus Hopeful About New BLM Location  in Colorado

~~ Record Breaking Economy Helping Those Who Need it Most

~~ Victory For Property Rights in Louisiana Related to Gopher Frogs!

~~ Living the American Dream Home Depot Co-Founder Defends Position

~~ Behind the Scenes of the Supreme Court Kavanaugh Confirmation 

~~ Science Supports Removing Grizzlies from Endangered Species List

~~  Push to End Dependence on Foreign Uranium Industry  Western Caucus

~~ Too Little, Too Late in "Clean Water Case" Against EPA Target

~~ Federal Appeals Court Upholds Prior Gerrymandering Decision

"Commissioner Bruce Adams, who supported the appeal, said he was disappointed with the ruling. “San Juan County appealed the initial decision of Judge Shelby because it split apart our most populated city, Blanding, and left them without representation. We went to the 10th Circuit looking for a more fair solution. The decision that came down today is very disappointing and disenfranchises a significant portion of our community,” he said in a statement.

~~ Dine' Bikeyah Activist, Garon Coriz, Dies in Climbing Accident

~~   AP Story on Coriz Rapelling Fall

Celebrating Freedom in Rural Utah July 10, 2019

Epic Blanding 4th of July Celebration

Blanding Fireworks 2019  Some of the best in the West! 

Thanks Raini Chee

Short Version of Stan Bronson's Concert, July 4

Combat Veterans are Grand Marshals for 4th of July

>>News In the West <<

~~ 1984 Voting Boundary Decisions Compared to Gerrymandering of 2017

"in the November 1984 general election, voters approved the boundaries of the new voting districts. These voter-approved boundaries remained the same for nearly 30 years.

In the general election, 64 percent of voters approved the new voting districts, with 2,055 approving and 1,161 opposing.

~~July 2 Commission Meeting in Oljato

~~ Commissioner Maryboy Comments on July 2 Commission Meeting

~~ Moab Considers New Nightly Rental Policy

Opinions in Recent San Juan Record

~~ Government's $22 Trillion Debt, and Annual Gov. Shutdown, Makes Case for State Control of National Parks and Monuments

"The federal government, on the other hand, has no skin in the game when it comes to shutting down monuments and national parks thousands of miles from Capitol Hill. For the feds, it's all a political game in Washington, DC. What happens in the communities bordering federal lands — many of them rural — is but a mere afterthought to people like Nancy Pelosi. But at the local level, access to local tourist attractions could mean a restaurant's ability to pay its staff with income from tourists."

~~ Stop Relying on Tourism to Save Rural Communities

"No less than five new hotels are currently being built (in Moab). Tourists are pouring in like the end is near and Moab is the only safe place. The sewer system can barely keep up. And yet, Moab and the State of Utah continue to advertise the area throwing more than $2.3 million dollars into promoting the area each year.

Regardless of the fact that the land is suffering, that the roads cannot hold the amount of traffic, that the sewer system is being overwhelmed, growing tourism in Moab continues to be a top priority. In 2017 more than 46% of Moab’s job force labored in the tourism industry compared with the 11% of Utah’s total workforce."

~~ Administration Reining in EPA Union

~~ Families of Blanding Veterans Post Information on this Site

~~ America Has A Moral Obligation to Develop and Export Clean Nat'l Gas

~~ Utah's Cattle Herds are "Udderly" Astonishing: Cow Appreciation Day

~~Three Pillars of Good Navajo Communication

~~ Big Government is Not the Answer to Climate Change

~~ Does Supreme Court Decision Have Local Implications

"I recently reviewed the 1984 issues of the San Juan Record to better understand the issue. I walked away from the process with an increased appreciation for what happened in 1984. I also had a growing concern about what happened in San Juan County in 2017.

In 1984, the process to create the voting districts, at several key points along the way, was a public process. This is in marked contrast to the process to create the current voting districts." San Juan Record editor, Bill Boyle

~~ Roads in Ruin in Parts of Utah

"A transfer of ownership of some roads in San Juan County, Utah, from the county to the Navajo Nation has resulted in disappearing road signs, general confusion, and spreading potholes.

Around October 2018, Manuel Morgan, a former San Juan County commissioner, noticed that the county roads signs in his community between Ismay and Aneth were missing.

“One morning they were gone – everywhere,” he said. “No county road signs to help people find us. No one told us the county roads signs would be taken down.”  Four Corners Free Press

~~ Developers Redirect Water Resources Away From Agriculture in Colo.

~~Taxing Tourists is Popular, Taxing High Density Housing is Divisive

~~ Uranium Mining Ban and Russian Cash: Arizona Lawmakers at Odds

"trade tensions between the U.S. and a number of countries have heightened the need to assure adequate domestic supplies of minerals and metals.

Uranium, a crucial part of the nation’s energy supply as a fuel for power plants, is one of those minerals. Yet the country’s uranium production is near historic lows because of an international oversupply."

 Ten Years Since Infamous Blanding Raids of 2009  

~~ Emotions Run Hot After Artifact Raid in Blanding

~~ Federal Agents Bust Artifact Ring

~~ Artifact Raid Raises Questions Years Later

~~ BLM Used Excessive Force

~~ Artifact Sting in the Desert Goes Awry

~~ The Shameful, Archaeological Raids in the Four Corners

            (Be sure to read Jay Redd's Reply)

~~ Widow Sues Over Husband's Death

~~Artifacts, Suicides, and Struggle over Federal Lands

~~10th Circuit Court Clears Federal Agents In Doctor's Death 

________________

~~ Posted on Protect the Bears Ears:   

June 25 at 7:29 AM · 

I think you'll find this as upsetting.

So, I'm hiking through Wire Pass which is a beautiful slot canyon that leads to an opening that's so breathtaking and sacred. It's a huge natural amphitheater that the Native Americans held so sacred. It's a huge natural amphitheater that the Native Americans held so sacred. You can actually feel it. I just get to the amphitheater and sit for lunch and notice who's here, I see a nice couple with two dogs soaking in the beauty. Then, I see a woman and daughter (I'm only guessing mother and daughter). I see the daughter open the metal box which contains a brief history of this historic place how sacred it was to the Native Americans and about it being unlawful to deface this area. I then stopped paying attention but then something drew my eyes over to where the girl was. I look and think she's carving into the wall but I see her mother watching her so I think naw, but curiosity got to me so I took out my camera and zoomed in. I yelled 'hey' to her and she walked away. I told her mother about it, I said your daughter just destroyed Native American Sacred history. I said look, she never said a word to me and walked towards her daughter. I was thinking she was getting her to bring her over when they both took off! Then, I go back to where I was sitting and I see a man letting his kids use this sacred place as a jungle gym destroying artwork. If you look at the picture with the name she carved you'll see it's right in the middle of petroglyphs This was all within 15 minutes of being there. No stopping this. It's going to be all destroyed soon. If you want to see this, best do it soon. I'm happy I can share these wonders with those who can't get here.
Update, she was caught. Here is the link
https://www.facebook.com/120889757943366/posts/2519780228054295/?substory_index=0

Celebrate and Protect Freedom *****July 1, 2019

Happy 4th of July 2019

     Blanding's Schedule of July 4th Activities

                                    "Best Small Town Celebration in Utah"  Video

Life in the West

~~Climate Change Forecast For The Four Corners 

~~ Property Owners and Nightly Rentals Facing Scrutiny

~~ Opinion: Bluff City Should Rethink Objection to Solar Farm

~~ What's Best?  Ban Plastic Bags or Other Alternatives?

~~ Supreme Court Determines to Stay out of State Political Boundary Issues

~~Letting Fires Burn  VS.  Value of New Growth  Is it Really Worth it?

~~ Agenda for July 2, Commission Meeting--Note new location

SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMISSION MEETINGMONUMENT VALLEY WELCOME CENTER - MONUMENT VALLEY, UTAHAGENDAJuly 2, 2019

9:00 A.M. Work Meeting
1. San Juan County Marketing & Promotion Initiatives Briefing - Natalie Randall
2. Budget Briefing / 2019 Tax Rates Discussion - John David Nielson, John Fellmeth, David Everitt
3. Status of Maintenance for Roads on the Navajo Nation - Ben Musselman, David Everitt
4. County Administrator Appointment Process - David Everitt
5. Public Lands Issues Report - Nick Sandberg

10:00 A.M. Commission Meeting
1. Approval of Minutes - June 10 & 18, 2019
2. Citizens' comments* (Please complete the request form - available at the door)
3. Designate the County's representative at the upcoming NACo conference
4. Ratify BLM Letter confirming participation as a Consulting Party in the Canyon Rims TMA - Nick Sandberg
5. Authorize Chair to sign comment letter regarding the draft Colorado River Management Plan and the draft Green & Colorado Rivers Mineral Leasing Plan - Nick Sandberg
6. Authorize the Chair to sign a Cooperative Agreement with Utah State Division of Parks & Recreation to install vault toilets at Hook & Ladder Trailhead - Ben Musselman
7. Ratify 2019 property tax rates - John David Nielson
8. Approve new hires - Walter Bird
9. Mental Health Board Appointment 
10. Ratify approval of Reimbursement Agreement with SITLA for planning work in Spanish Valley - David Everitt
11. Commission Reports 

~~Uranium Mining in the Four Corners Could See a Revival this Year

~~ Video of June 18 Commission Meeting

~~ Rep. Bishop and Team Introduce RNR Bipartisan Act: Recreation Not Red Tape (RNR) Act

~~ Rural Communities Seek Help through Utah Coal Miners Strike Team

~~ Oregon Pipeline a Possible Boon to Utah's Nat'l Gas Industry

~~ Reintroduction of Wolves into Colorado has Negative Impact on Elk Herds

    ~~ Related video The Devastation to Other Wildlife

~~FEMA and the Dysfunction of Federal Bureaucracy 

"Another bureaucratic fiasco simply reinforces why the nine most terrifying words in the English language are still: “I’m from the government and I’m here to help.”

The number of declared national emergencies—and how much we spend on them—is rising, yet one of the agencies tasked with handling national emergencies has been particularly opaque about its effectiveness."

~~ Recent Supreme Court Decision Looks at Gerrymandering

~~ Nat'l Parks and Monuments Crumbling After Years of Neglect

"Nearly $12 billion is needed to repair infrastructure, mostly crumbling roads, at 419 park units managed by the National Park Service (NPS). The maintenance backlog grew $313 million in 2018 alone, federal figures state."  So why would Dine Bikeyah want to resize Bears Ears back to original designation if the NPS can't even maintain what they already have?    Free Range Report

      "The maintenance backlog goes beyond just NPS-managed lands. In total, the Interior Department faces $18 billion in deferred maintenance when lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other agencies are factored in."

    Editorial Comment:  "Back in 2016 and 2017 when were were actively fighting the 1.9 Obama Declared National Monument, this issue was one of the concerns we had, and it hasn't gotten any better.  In fact, it's gotten worse, because now our country has a 22 Trillion debt!  How can we suppose the Federal Gov. can take care of our Public lands, or Nat'l parks and Monuments when they are indebted to other countries?  Collateral for debt appears to be the confiscation of more public land.  Local and State control is in most cases better; they at least pay their bills."   Janet Wilcox