"It’s a question that everyone who loves the lands of Southeast Utah needs to ask.Our ultimate goal in this endeavor should be to protect the lands we cherish and revere, not turn them into a marketing tool. Because once we commit to this future for the Bears Ears, and Elk Ridge and the Blue Mountains and White Canyon, and Cheese Box Butte and the tablelands at Hatch Point, and Beyond….once we determine that THIS is the future we want for these sacred places, there is no going back."
"So what is the strategy here for monument supporters? First, create the monument, then promote its world-wide appeal for the tourist dollar potential. When visitation increases dramatically, accompanied by dramatic environmental impacts as well, land managers will call for more funding, for more protection and for more regulation. And they’ll demand more funding to educate the public during their brief visits. Look at the Moab/Arches NP area and see what’s happened there. Establishing monument status for the Bears Ears has a Catch-22 component for sure.
If it sounds as if I’m being too hard on the tourist/recreation crowd, note that I include myself among them when I travel to any place that is foreign and different to me and where I lack knowledge and experience. Wilderness is an unforgiving yet fragile place. It can be deadly, and it can be easily destroyed.
And as this publication noted more than 15 years ago, when we first addressed head-on the impacts from the recreation industry—“It’s the NUMBERS, stupid.” Too many well-meaning people, most with good intentions, can be devastating. It’s not a new idea; ‘loving the place to death’ has been an acknowledged fact for decades. But it seems to be a Truth that is often ignored these days."
