Dear Mayor and City Council members,
There are several things I neglected to say last night at City Council; primarily, thank you for allowing input from Blanding citizens in two open forums, and even an opportunity for an out-of-towner to speak last night. Anna Tom from McCracken Mesa is a person we have worked very closely with, as well as her mother, Betty Jones. They have been fire brands in the battle, as councilman Lyman sometimes alludes to. I don’t know if you attended the arena theater meeting in June 2016, where state Representative Mike Noel spoke? If you didn’t then, you probably don’t understand the passion that was generated that night. When I entered the arena theater there were at least 30-40 Native Americans on the East side. Anna was one of them and I wondered then, what their position was. I even said to Dara Bayles (who is also Navajo), “What side do you think they are on?“
Well, as the meeting progressed, I learned that they knew a heck of a lot more about government regulations, and false promises that I did. It was an eye opener, and a motivational event, which threw a lot of unlikely people together, and we’re still together a year later with a long list of parades, meetings, SLC trips, rallies, and hearings behind us. If you were there, then you would understand why we were so upset with the “cave in” suggestion regarding Bears Ears Tuesday night.
I share that, because some of you may think Bears Ears is just a Blanding issue. It is not. The overreach of the Antiquities Act has affected at least a dozen states. We have allies throughout the nation, and especially in the west. This is much more than just a battle over a monument. As a county we drew a line in the sand, that says we are against federal overreach via EPA, Environmental lawsuits, threats, rampant bureaucracy, government decisions based on global goals, not on local needs. When states no longer have state's rights, and counties only have 8% private land, we are only a facade of freedom. Constitutional illegalities affect multiple states, and those states also look hopefully for what may happen with Bears Ears following the Review Period. I hope all of you wrote and shared your concerns and ideas. If you haven't, you should. This is NOT over yet.
In my remarks, Tuesday, I referred to an article by Jim Stiles; in fact, he has written many well researched articles about Bears Ears. There are a few by him that would “Bear” reading as they apply to our current and future situations. Though an unlikely ally. Jim has gone out of his way to help Stewards of San Juan on several occasions and he is a journalist I actually trust to tell the truth. (Which is why his name has been in the Moab paper a lot). I hope you will read these, so you understand why this controversy, has larger ramifications than just Bears Ears and a possible promotion plan for Blanding.
Each week I read anywhere from 15-25 articles related to some facet of Bears Ears, Government agencies, Public Lands, or Environment. Some of you have received a weekly Bear Essentials newsletter from me, which focuses on things we need to do, plus a dozen or so of the most relevant articles: broken down into Good News Bears and Bad News. Of course, you have to push the link, and then read the article to be informed. I’m sorry you may not have gotten them. I should have sought out all city council members early on, but went with e-mails of people who signed up at the Mike Noel meeting last June and the Senate Hearing in July. I often hear from Mr. Ogle and Mr. Lyman. I have counted on family members to share information, as I'm limited to 500 emails. I also maintain and keep current a Bears Ears Blog, https://beyondthebears.blogspot.com/. So there are plenty of ways to stay informed on this issue, if a person cares. On the Save the Bears Ears secret FB page there are over 2500 members, who have kept this issue alive, and have had the passion to write, read, speak, and do. These are not people who enjoyed fighting, but who care deeply about this country and San Juan County. I am so thankful for their efforts. Were it not for technology, combined with a just cause, this issue would have been dead in the desert long ago, and we’d be looking at those brochures you want to design, wondering what happened to Blanding.
Sincerely,
Janet Wilcox
