Layers of Land Protection Prior to Nat'l Monument Designation

 Layers of land protection in the West:

Some critics seem to feel that public land in San Juan County is now doomed to oblivion since President Trump's declaration to resize Bears Ears National Monument.  Before more National Monuments were even in the picture in San Juan County, there were over a dozen existing protections already in place.  These lands were, and are amply protected by law without another layer of ineffective legislation. However, you can enact all the laws and regulations you want, but without money (remember the US is 20 Trillion dollars in debt) and man power to supervise, you're just shaking a wet noodle at the thousands of uneducated tourists who have been attracted to SE Utah because of all the publicity.  

1.     1906 Antiquities act,

2.     1935 Historic Sites Preservation Act,

3.     1960/1974 Reservoir Act,

4.     1964 Wilderness Act

5.     1966 National History Preservation Act

6.     1968 Wild and Scenic Rivers Act

7.     1969 National Environmental Protection Act

8.     1974 Archeological; Historic Preservation Act,

9.     1976 Federal Lands Policy and Management Act,

10. 1978 American Indian Religious Freedom Act,

11. 1979 Archeological Resources Protection Act,

12. 1980 Amendment NHBA - Exec. Order Protection & Enhancement of Cultural Environment,

13. 1990 Native American Graves Protection; Repatriation Act,

14. 1996 Indian Sacred Site Protection Act,

15. 2000 Consultation; Coordination with Indian Tribal Government Act
16. 2003 Preserve America Act 

~~ Bear Essentials ~ Dec. 16, 2017 ~~

v  Interactive Map showing boundary changes

v   A Public Lands Bill We can All Agree On?

v A Little Winter Humor Featuring our Favorite Bear

v Remember to pray for SNOW!

v Thanks, Dashelle Holliday for writing and publishing several letters this past week. We need more voices correcting misconceptions.

Address one or more of these fallacies when you write:

(These are “talking points” from the Grand Old Broads)

--Most Americans DO NOT want to reduce our national monuments

Protecting national monuments has enormous public support. Over 2.8 million public comments were received in response to Trump’s monument review. Keylog Economics analyzed the first 1.3 million comments received and estimated that 99.2% of comments opposed the review and any reductions to National Monuments. An analysis of more than 6,700 of the comments received found that over 90% of comments from Utahns opposed the administrative review and wanted to protect monuments. The Trump administration and Utah’s elected officials are ignoring the vast majority of comments.

--The Tribes Proposed and Support Bears Ears National Monument

Tribal council members from the Navajo, Hopi, Ute, Ute Mountain Ute, and Zuni Tribes form the Bears Ears Coalition, which proposed Bears Ears as the first tribally co-managed National Monument. Altogether, 30 Native American Tribes with heritage tied to the Bears Ears region have shown overwhelming support for the monument, to protect sacred uses and the area’s tens of thousands of Native American archaeological sites. The day after Trump announced slashing the monument from 1.35 million acres to 201,397 acres, the five tribal governments who petitioned to form it filed a lawsuit against the administration. The Department of Interior claims they consulted with the tribes, but the decision to reduce Bears Ears does not represent the views of these tribal governments and the administration did not go through proper channels for tribal consultation.

--These lands belong to ALL Americans

Before monument designation, Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante were national public lands managed by the federal government and open for all to enjoy. They were never owned or managed by the state of Utah—so these monument reductions do not “return” the lands to Utahns. Bears Ears National Monument was intended to be co-managed between Native American Tribes, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and the U.S. Forest Service. Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is managed by the BLM and will continue to be managed by the federal agency. Trump falsely claimed he was “returning” lands to the people when the public owned these lands all along.

--Monument Designations DO NOT Lock Out the Public

The only activity national monument designation prevents within Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante is oil and gas development and mining. Grazing is still allowed, as well as off-highway vehicles, mountain biking, hiking, camping, firewood cutting, logging, hunting, and trapping, subject to Monument Management Plans. Native American herb and seed collection and traditional uses in Bears Ears are protected under the monument designation.

--National Monuments Bolster, Not Hurt, Local Economies

Independent non-partisan research from Headwaters Economics shows that local economies adjacent to 17 national monuments in the West all expanded following monument designation. Over two-thirds of the communities studied grew at the same rate or at a faster pace compared to similar communities their state. From 2001 to 2015:

— Population grew by 13% and jobs grew by 24%
— Service business jobs grew from 3,916 to 5,561, a 42% increase
— Real per capita income grew from $30,687 to $35,812, a 17% increase

--Outdoor Recreation is Essential to Local and National Economies and creates:  

— $887 billion in consumer spending annually
— 7.6 million American jobs
— $65.3 billion in federal tax revenue
— $59.2 billion in state and local tax revenue

-- Has Helped Neighboring Economies

Suzanne Catlett, Board President of the Escalante & Boulder Chamber of Commerce says it best: “As head of a chamber representing 49 businesses, I can tell you that since the protection of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, our local tourism industry in Escalante has grown and is thriving… Thanks to our national monuments, people want to live here, and new home construction is at an all-time high. We have no doubt that Bears Ears National Monument will bring the same economic opportunities to the area. There is no doubt that shrinking these national monuments would harm our local businesses.”

Good News Bears

n  New York Times story on Bears Ears

n  Uranium interests in San Juan County

n  Utah Geological Survey Refutes Wash. Post Article

“WashPost’s misleading headline, ‘Areas cut out of Utah monuments are rich in oil, coal, uranium,’ may seem accurate to those unacquainted with the ins and outs of energy development, but fossil fuel and mineral deposits must have the potential to yield profits before an area is even considered. There may indeed be oil, coal and uranium resources in the ground in southeastern Utah, but according to the scientists at UGS, either due to the size of deposits or the expense and difficulties involved in exploration and extraction, they are not worth the trouble.”

n  Thank you for Shash Jaa’, from a Navajo Elder

n  When the Shoe’s on the Other Foot  Idaho State Journal

n  Newt Gingrich:  Ignore the Naysayers

n  Trump Shrinks Bears Ears Navajo Times

n  EPA director to End Sue and Settle Pattern

“Scott Pruitt recently issued a directive to end a 20-year string of “sue and settle” cases that have funneled untold millions of tax dollars to environmental organizations. . . About 20 years ago, government agencies stopped collecting data on these settlements, so they could no longer report to Congress on the amount of money involved, or the groups to whom it was being paid. Long-time observers know it amounts to hundreds of millions of dollars, and the recipients are mostly large environmental organizations.”

n  BLM Agent Wooten reports Unprofessional behavior by BLM  Video by Washington Representative Matt Shea refers to Operation Cerberus

n  Whistle Blower gives additional information concerning Bundys

Bad News Bears

n  Trumps Rollback likely to be reversed

n   Dismantling of Bears Ears by NYTimes: Video

n  Stop Assault on Public Lands, Opinion in Des. News

n  Uranium and White Mesa Mill Criticized by HCN. 

n  Ruffalo Critical of Trump decision to resize BE

n  Grand Old Broads Rally at Canyon of the Ancients

n  Resurrected Article Concerning Love’s Artifacts bust in SJC

v   Other Articles of Local Interest

v Sec. Zinke, Pres. Trump’s Attack Dog?  Outside Magazine

v Congressional Committee Debates Proposed NP in SW Utah

v Video of Congressional Hearing with Commissioner Pollack

v State Vs. Federal Management of Public Lands

v Will new boundaries allow for uranium mining?

v Interview with Jonah Yellowman  video by Alex Cabrero

v Fiscal Responsibility in a Debt Ridden Country

v Is National Sovereignty Compromised by Canadian Electrical Deal?

v Author asks, “Is Cliven Bundy a Terrorists or a Patriot?”

                                                             

                                                       ~~~~~~                                                         

 http://beyondthebears.blogspot.com/          

                     Documenting Bears Ears “No Monument” efforts since July 2016

~~ Bear Essentials ~ Dec. 9, 2017 ~~

It was a great day of celebration for “Local” Native Americas and San Juan County

President Trump’s Remarks Dec. 4 Utah State Capitol

v Thank You’s Are In Order:  Contact Senator Hatch:

v Express your appreciation and concerns:   Write or Call the President:

            Write to Secretary Zinke: Dept. of the Interior  1849 C Street, N.W.  Wash. DC 20240 

v Other Issues of Local Interest

v Recommendations on SJC voting Districts Submitted (San Juan Record)

v Strategic Plans for Next 4 years from DOI/ Sec. Zinke  Draft

v Dept. of Natural Resources:  Facts related to Oil and Gas in Bears Ears

v Bills Would Eliminate Oil, Gas, and Coal Payments to Western States

Good News Bears 

n  President Shaves off 2 Million Acres from Utah National Monuments KUER

n  Glen Beck Clears up Myths Related to Bears Ears

n  Open Letter to Nav. President Russel Begay Elaine Devary Willman

n  Misconceptions and Missing Facts Relative to Bears Ears Jim Stiles

n  Shrinking Monuments Puts Principle Ahead of Politics  National Review

n  Secretary Zinke:  Why We Shrunk Bears Ears 

“The Bears Ears Commission will be renamed the Shash Jáa Commission and expanded to include San Juan County Commissioner Rebecca Benally, a Native American elected by the majority-Native American voting district in the county.”

n  Pres. Trump’s Speech to Utah 

n  Navajo Nation Should Better Use Resources, Not Sue Feds Ryan Benally

n  Jason Chaffetz ( Now with Fox News) Weighs in on Bears Ears

n  Des News Exposes Friends of Cedar Mesa Fund Raiser Snafu

n  San Juan County Hosts Thank You Celebration  Alex Cabrero

n  San Juan Praises Trump’s Decision and hosts Rally

n  Bill Boyle:  San Juan Record Summary of Dec. 2 Rally

n  San Juan Stewards of San Juan Attend Dec. 4 Signing

n  The Bears Ears Story Great Video

n  Sec. Zinke Cleans up the Department of Interior   Rob Bishop

n  Letter to the Editor—Clearing up misconceptions:  Dashelle Holliday

“Several high-profile cases of misconduct have come to light in recent years, ranging from sexual harassment within the ranks of the National Park Service to the brazen abuse of authority by BLM Special Agent Dan Love. A pattern has emerged demonstrating a reluctance by senior department officials to discipline and hold federal employees accountable for their wrongdoing. I’m encouraged to see the department beginning to open its eyes to reports of misconduct and impose real consequences on those found responsible.”

n  Trump Cleaned up Clinton Corruption from 1996

n  Commissioner Bruce Adams Speaks at Monticello Dec 2 Rally

n  Locals in San Juan Praise Trump’s Decision Lots of great photos too!

n  Five Myths about Bears Ears  Gov. Gary Herbert

n  Senate Passes Bill to Streamline Tribal Energy Development

““Indian tribes should have the same opportunities to develop their natural resources as any other sovereign nation,” said Hoeven. “For years, Washington’s overregulation has hurt tribal energy development and stymied economic growth in Indian Country. This commonsense bill will cut red tape and provide tribes with greater flexibility to develop energy resources to best meet the needs of their local communities.”

n Western Colo. leaders discuss Energy development with Trump Advisors

n  Resizing Bears is Good, Ending Antiquities Act Abuse in Utah is Better

“But whether Obama or Trump has the final say over these monuments, their opinions are not as important as those of the people directly affected, who ought to be brokering final settlements. They will feel empowered only when Utah becomes exempt from the Antiquities Act.”

n President Trump Visits Welfare Square

n  Mining Rights Groups Fight BLM California Road Closures

  Bad News Bears                   

  n  High Country News Takes the Low Road on Secretary Zinke

  n  HCN Explains Their Version of New Bears Ears Boundaries

  n  Friends of Cedar Mesa Explain Why They’re Going to Court

  n  Has Josh Ewing Gone Rogue?

n  Utah’s Small Towns Can’t Support Industrial Strength Tourism

n  Monument supporters Rally Against Trump

n  Wealth Destroying Beliefs of Modern Environmentalists

“Armies of dedicated people—from massive agricultural conglomerates and equipment manufacturers to individual farmers and ranchers on multiple continents—are working diligently to make sure every man, woman and child has enough to eat and drink. . . .True environmentalists must climb down from their ivory towers, put on their grownup boots and walk the land with today’s devoted conservationists—farmers, ranchers, miners, energy professionals, and water experts. Committed, resolute people like Bill Minor. Mother Earth will be saved by intelligent partnerships, not mindless lawsuits and feel-good ideology.”

n  LA Times: Public Lands, Native Americans, and Trump Proclamation

n  Southerm Utah Anglos also Pushed off Their Lands

n  Hysteria:  The Land has been Erased! Remember Chicken Little: “The Sky is Falling!”

n  Ute Tribes Protest Trump’s Decision

      Just a few of San Juan Stewards who were in SLC on this Auspicious Day                                                                 

~~~~~~

 http://beyondthebears.blogspot.com/          

                                     Documenting Bears Ears “No Monument” efforts since July 2016