Bear Essentials January 22, 2017

As of January 19, only 326 people had taken the county resource planning survey. Your opinions are needed. Take it now and encourage others to do likewise:  http://sanjuancountyplan.org/

--Thank you, Stewards of San Juan County, for helping to contact Senators who can help us in this effort to return State’s Rights and Rescind the Bears Ears NM.  Over 2800 letters were mailed last week, thanks to your dedication and support. Over 220 letters went out to President Trump.  This has been a great effort. Thanks Nicole Perkins and Kara Laws for pushing us.

--The next thing to think about: Who are your friends and family who live in states who can help us?  Start making a list of these folks. Congressmen are more likely to listen to their own constituents, and we need to seek their help. We will soon have a game plan on ways these connections can help San Juan County.  In the meantime, make sure family and friends outside of Utah know your views and concerns regarding this Nat’l Mt. designation and are sympathetic.  The opposition never sleeps, and will continue to fight us on these issues no matter how much Josh Ewing promotes the “Golden Rule.” (Letter to the editor, San Juan Record, Jan 19, 2017.

Grandma Betty Jones gave the prayer
at the conclusion of our fast. 

About 60 Stewards of San Juan culminated a fast and prayers for Bears Ears and our Country on Jan. 21 with a pot luck meal at the Blanding library.  Many shown here, worked for days getting letters ready to send.

Wendy Black clarifies a point, talking to Commissioner
Phil Lyman, and County Assessor, Shelby Seeley

--Help needed finding lost records: Winston Hurst needs our help to track down the loose-leaf-bound copies of Albert R. Lyman’s early diaries.  If you have them, or know who borrowed them, let him know 678-3305

 Bad News Bears

--Fake News/Hyperbole/ and Hype Hoodwink public

--Great needs on Navajo Reservation but little progress.

See what the opposition is up to: SUWA

Good News Bears

Sportsmen of Utah take a stand

Local stewardship of Public lands.  Is it possible?

Owyhee County in Oregon safe from NM; Reasons Why

What you should know about Public Land transfer

Public Land in San Juan County, Before and After Pictures

The use of repeat photography is a useful tool in making comparisons between early landscapes and present conditions.  This series of repeat photographs all showing similar conditions and trends is compelling when evaluating ecological changes. Shows we have been Stewards of the Land in almost all instances, and also that Mother Nature does a great job of reinventing herself in positive ways.

The Land we love – San Juan County Photo Collection 

Three e-mail attachments: (plus .PDF of this message) Please forward to others

1) Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R- AK) reintroduced an effort to amend the Antiquities Act. The goal is to require congressional approval of presidential monument declarations.

2 )  “It’s absolutely critical to have state and local support on the monument they participate in,” said Dept. of Interior Nominee: Montanan Ryan Zinke. “

3) Grand Staircase Escalante Management report 2014: Want to know how your tax dollars were spent the past 20 years at BSE NM?  Load and read!

Let Your Voices Be Heard

There is still a need for letter writing as we forge a new direction in our county and in our country.  All of us need to write our concerns and our aspirations to the following elected officials.

(Also take or e-mail (savebearsears@gmail.com)  a duplicate copy of your letter to President Trump to Kara Laws's office before Jan. 18.  

Want your name on the "Trump this Monument"?  Sign it this weekend at San Juan Record. It's headed to Washington D.C. soon.  Thanks, Nikki Safrit.

Pres. Trump https://apply.ptt.gov/yourstory/

Congressman Jason Chaffetz  https://chaffetz.house.gov/contact/

 Senator Mike Lee  https://www.lee.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact

Navajo Nation webmaster​@navajonsn.gov

 Senator Orrin Hatch  http://www.hatch.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/email-orrin
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Here's my letter:

Dear President Trump,

I pray you will listen to concerns that Utah and other western states have regarding the absconding of land via the Antiquities Act.  When a single president can confiscate 553 Million acres while local citizens in hundreds of rural communities suffer environmental terrorism, there is something wrong with the federal government, something wrong with this 1906 legislation, and something terribly wrong about the power of NGOs who seem to have all the cards.  It’s time that you show them the “Trump” card and rescind those recent designations.

If the Bears Ears Monument were initiated by Utah Tribes who live here, that might be a different story, but the Conservation Lands Foundation from Durango, Colorado was the initiator, orchestrator, planner and financial broker in this real estate deal.  They used neighboring tribes to form a pro-monument coalition, offering financial benefits and promising power to “co-manage” the monument.  It began as an agenda item on the CLF land takeover list in 2014 and they used financial allies until they had their way. Native people were simply a means to an end.

For Utah Natives who fought against this monument, this designation represents broken promises made to a long line of native people who are living on broken reservation lands. The Navajo know what it's like to live without electricity or running water. There are greater needs than locking up land and locking out jobs. But the Enviro-nazis don’t care about reservation life, so now the Environmental Hunger Games are moving on to capture Cascade-Siskiyou Monument in Oregon, Coastal areas in California, and over 6 million acres in Alaska.  These lands are not being secured for the benefit of the United States or its people. The greed of the ultra-Green is unbelievable and will only benefit the countries we are indebted to, $20 Trillion dollars worth. We support our Utah congressional leaders and we supported you in the last election.  Please seek to rescind the designations, and to repeal or modify substantially the antiquities act.   Yes, it’s time for a change, and time to make America Great Again. 

Janet Wilcox