Bear Essentials Dec. 10, 2016

Bear Essentials Dec. 10-17

.   Edmund Burke said, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men (and women) to do nothing.”

No matter the omens of doom, and naysayers who have never even helped in this urgent issue, Stewards of San Juan County are determined to represent our county, our freedoms, and to speak out as long as there is hope.  It’s possible some of you have only written once or twice; that needs to be substantially increased when you are fighting a formidable foe. We hope you will help today, and throughout these last weeks of the year. Write and call OFTEN

**TOP Priority

1.      Efforts must continue if we want to stop the environmental lobby momentum:

Call 202-456-1111 or 202-456-1414 between the hours of 7am - 3 pm MST to leave a comment AND leave the same comment online at https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact

Possible script (or you can personalize it as you see fit):
"Hello, my name is _____ and I am a resident of Blanding, Utah. I am calling to express my strong opposition to the proposed Bears Ears National Monument in San Juan County  Please do not designate another monument in Utah. I stand with our elected city, county, and Utah's ENTIRE elected congressional delegation, as well as the two local tribes, in opposing this monument. Do not support the environmental lobby.  Rural Americans and their livelihood matters.

2.     If you need help writing letters, or organizing them, come to the Blanding library tomorrow Saturday, Dec. 10—1-3 PM . Sample letters and addresses available.  If you have a lap top come help with e-mailing or drop your letter off today. 

Write letters to these key people immediately, especially if you are mailing them.  The last five are all Senior advisors to President Obama.  E-mail letters could be sent every day. 

President Barack Obama
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20500
Call to comment: 202-456-1111
wrote: http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact

Christy Goldfuss, Chair
Council on Environmental Quality
722 Jackson Place NW
Washington, DC 20503
Email: chair@ceq.eop.gov

Brian Deese, Senior Energy Advisor
Department of Energy
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20500

Neil Kornze, Director
Bureau of Land Management
Mail Stop 2134 LM
1849 C St. NW.
Washington DC 20240
e-mail: director@blm.gov
nkornze@blm.gov

The following are advisors to the president:

Andrew_J_McConville@ceq.eop.gov
Leslie.Jones@osec.usda.gov
Michael_H_Degnan@ceq.eop.gov
Sally_A_Hardin@ceq.eop.gov
Stephenne_S_Harding@ceq.eop.gov

Please add this link at the bottom of your e-mails with this statement.  This document includes further reasons you should not designate Bears Ears National Monument. 

Reading for this week.  

--This is a great article showing the past history of National Monuments and how Bears Ears rose to the center stage of the CLF campaign.  Jim Stiles details the trail of magabucks spent via green extremists, and the impact on rural towns and fragile landscapes.

 Read full article:

--Referendum on Rural Rights in America.

--Should the EPA be dissolved?                                                                                              

--Bureaucratic Rot in the BLM: Could Mike Noel help?

--National Monuments should not be a one-man show

Bayles letter to Energy Advisor

Dear Brian Deese, Senior Energy Advisor

The residents of San Juan County, which include the Navajo and Ute tribes, strongly oppose the designation of a Bears Ears National Monument as proposed by the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition. Emotion aside, there are lawful, valid reasons why we oppose this monument. The proposal itself is severely deficient and requests actions by the President that are contrary to law.

The BEIT Coalition claims that they are “local by residence to the Four Corners Country.” However, the “Four Corners Country” is not an institutional entity that creates law and policies that govern land use – it’s simply a region. Members of the Coalition are not residents of San Juan County. They are not even residents of Utah. They do not have legal jurisdiction over the Bears Ears area, and by claiming they are “local” via Four Corners Country they are trying to move an already established goal post and define their OWN goal post of what it means to be “local”. That’s fine, they have the right to believe and express how they feel. However, that does not give them actual rights to the land; only political bodies can make policy decisions about this land. “Four Corners Country” is not a citizen, or even a member, of any of those actual functioning jurisdictional entities. The proposal itself disregards no less than 18 land use planning efforts. A non-government organization such as the Coalition should never have the power to trump sovereign State rights, nor duly elected officials, no matter how much money they have been given from outside special interest groups.

Local tribes realize that their own tribal leaders have been bought out by outside special interest groups. Recently, the Ute tribe from White Mesa – one community that will be directly affected by this monument – voted out three of their representatives who are a part of the Coalition. The community was never made aware that a Bears Ears monument was even being discussed and subsequently, they never had the chance to voice their opposition until recently. Evidence of this is provided in the following video with a comment made by Suzette Morris, a Ute resident of White Mesa, to Regina Lopez-Whiteskunk, former Ute Mountain Ute Chairwoman, at a recent tribal meeting in White Mesa, Utah https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sa_TyQzLKiI.

In the proposal, the Coalition makes claims of “rampant looting” and “grave robbing” and states that “more than a dozen serious looting cases were reported between May 2014 and April 2015.” However, those claims were never cited, much less verified. In fact, those claims are in stark contrast with reports from local law enforcement, the US DOI briefing on looting activities, and the BLM.

The most important point, albeit upsetting and downright disturbing, that I want to address is the dishonesty that the Coalition has shown since day one. They claim that the seeds of their proposal were planted and nourished by local Navajos, when in reality, it was in fact environmental groups that planted the seeds of this monument into the soil of these tribes. In 2014 a meeting of the Conservation Lands Foundation was held in San Francisco where board members discussed the progress of what was then known as the “Cedar Mesa campaign” (later it would be known as the Bears Ears proposal). Chairman Ed Norton was quoted in official minutes questioning if their group was “hitching our success to the Navajo and if so what would happen if we separate from them or disagree with them. Without the support of the Navajo Nation, the White House probably would not act; currently we are relying on the success of our Navajo partners.”  

The Coalition does not have the local tribes’ best interest in mind. They proved that by ignoring the entire Aneth Chapter of the Navajo Nation by submitting the chapter's 2010 resolution in support of the monument as part of their October 2015 official proposal, when in fact the chapter rescinded in August of 2015 and officially announced their opposition to the monument.

Many surveys have been generated regarding public opinion on the proposed monument. The one that the Coalition most often promotes claims “55% of Utahns support a Bears Ears National Monument.” This poll in particular was conducted by Mike Matz from Pew Charitable Trusts organization. It should be noted that Matz headed the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA-one of the major financial proponents for the monument) from 1993-2000.  He used Public Opinion Strategies and the Benenson Strategy Group whose motto is “BSG is a strategic research consultancy that marries language expertise with innovative research to frame choices so that your brand is the only answer.” http://www.sltrib.com/news/4224034-155/poll-most-utahns-favor-a-bears. The poll included a phone survey of only 600 registered voters in Utah, yet not one San Juan County resident nor one Native American, was surveyed. Those two populations are the ones that will be most affected by this monument. http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/analysis/2016/08/11/new-poll-utahans-support-protections-for-bears-ears-area.

These are just a few of the reasons that locals, myself included, are so against this proposed monument. If it was the right thing to do, there would be at least some support from local Navajos, Utes, Anglos, and Hispanics alike - but there is not. If you want this land to continue being protected, because it is protected by BLM, Forest Service, and the good stewards of San Juan, please work with local county residents and elected officials.

A National Monument should be an honor to an area, not a punishment – and it should not be done TO the residents, but rather WITH the residents. I am attaching a copy of a conversation I had with a Navajo man who is a life-long resident of Bluff, Utah. Whether Bears Ears becomes a monument or not, the U.S. Department of Interior, the Council on Environmental Quality, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the President of the United States himself needs to see that the Bears Ears National Monument proposal is nothing but a Trojan Horse that will undoubtedly destroy this area.

Jami Bayles

Keep Writing and Calling

Call 202-456-1111 or 202-456-1414 between the hours of 7am - 3 pm MST to leave a comment AND leave the same comment online at https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact

Mailing addresses:
The President.
The White House.
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20500.

Christy Goldfuss, Chair
Council on Environmental Quality
722 Jackson Place NW
Washington, DC 20503
Email: chair@ceq.eop.gov

Brian Deese, Senior Energy Advisor
Department of Energy
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20500

The Honorable Sally Jewell,
Secretary of the Interior
U.S. Department of the Interior
1849 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20240
e-mail Secretary_jewell@ios.doi.gov

Neil Kornze, Director
Bureau of Land Management
Mail Stop 2134 LM
1849 C St. NW.
Washington DC 20240
e-mail: director@blm.gov
nkornze@blm.gov

Andrew_J_McConville@ceq.eop.gov
Michael_H_Degnan@ceq.eop.gov
Leslie.Jones@osec.usda.gov
Sally_A_Hardin@ceq.eop.gov
Stephenne_S_Harding@ceq.eop.gov

How the Battle goes in West Virginia

Randy and Kirsten Sharp have been fighting against a Nat'l Monument Designation in West Virginia for nearly 2 years now.  This was their latest e-mail:  
According to our senators they are opposed to it  as a few weeks ago. I have tried Rep Jenkins' office twice but have yet to hear from him. A little worried about him as some river people in another area has been pushing him on this. Whatever happens we need to look at the long term and try to get the Antiquities Act revoked or at least voted on by congress. Keep  me informed as to what is going on and wish you luck.     Randy

Published in October, 2016 -- The Push is on in W. Virginia as well

What will be President Obama’s legacy? The Affordable Care Act? The death of Osama bin Laden? Or perhaps his public lands legacy. President Obama has designated or expanded 27 national monuments and protected more than 550 million acres of public lands and waters, more than any other president.

Unfortunately, only 23 of more than 120 current national monuments are in the East. West Virginia currently has none. However, a group of Mountain State conservation advocates, businesspeople, outdoor recreation enthusiasts and other citizens has organized to secure a federal designation for the proposed Birthplace of Rivers National Monument.

“There are no landscape-scale national monuments in the East,” says David Lillard, special projects manager with the West Virginia Rivers Coalition. “There’s a need and a worthiness in the East as well.”Why create a national monument?

 First, says Lillard, a national monument designation, unlike a national forest, would permanently protect the land from industrial development, a significant step in this fossil fuel-rich state.Second, this measure would help ensure the purity of the rivers, a critical step given that millions of people downstream depend on them every day for fresh, clean drinking water. Just two and a half years ago, a massive chemical spill into the Elk River polluted more than 300,000 people’s tap water, which highlighted the vital need to protect this resource. Clean headwaters also facilitate positive recreation experiences downstream for fishing and paddling. More than 90 percent of West Virginia’s native trout streams fall within the proposed monument’s borders. And creek boaters flock to the headwaters of these rivers.

Finally, the designation of the monument would significantly boost tourism revenue throughout the area. According to an economic impact study commissioned by the West Virginia Wilderness Coalition, the monument’s designation would create 143 jobs, increase visitor-related spending in communities surrounding the monument by 42 percent, and generate more than $14.5 million in economic output annually. Similarly, land-management research group Headwaters Economics studied the local economies of communities bordering or adjacent to 17 national monuments in the western United States from 1982 to 2011, and they found that jobs grew at four times the rate of similar communities that didn’t have a national monument as a neighbor.Third, says Lillard, a monument designation would help guarantee that any future logging remains at a sustainable level.  

Later in the article it says: "Around the beginning of this year, the focus of this campaign shifted strongly toward the president,” Lillard explains. “He has indicated there will be more monuments designated. We’ve been meeting with his administration’s monument people for a long time, and they’re very interested.”

A presidential precedent of sorts exists for departing commanders-in-chief to establish 11th-hour public lands on their way out the door. For example, during the first seven years of President Clinton’s two terms in office, he designated one national monument. In his last year, he established 19, with seven of those only becoming official in his last week and a half in the White House.

- Read more at: http://appvoices.org/2016/10/07/monumental-momentum/#sthash.WcCn225C.dpuf

This second article was published 2 years ago when the environmental push began there: 

Read more:

Notice the strategies, and focus are nearly the same: create a coalition, bring in recreation and tourists, kill industry, and all will be well.

The Bears Ears Monument Featured story in Canyon Country Zephyr

Response to Jim's article:

Read the whole article

Drawing by Jeff Byrd

This lengthly artive provides a great delineation of events leading to the current crisis at Bears Ear, told with insight and honesty. I think that “outliers” bring a different insight to any discussion, and you’ve represented us well in the discussion. As one who has been fighting Bears Ears monument for 6 months now, it is refreshing to actually have someone report more of the breadth of the conflict, and the new concerns that have developed concerning national monuments. Monuments are not the panacea of protection, as extreme greens would have us believe.

I am also glad you further exposed the heavy handed, financially wealthy lobby that pits itself against rural Americans, whether in SE Utah, or the tiny islands of Hawaii, the rangelands of Oregon, Nevada, California, & Arizona or the tiny communities of West Virginia. Their modus operandi is usually the same: exaggerate the damage being done, rally indigenous people to to be the banner carriers (by dangling money carrots), portray local people as dumb redneck looters, and attack cattle and industry as the enemy. After hearing these repetitive arguments time and time again, you soon realize that rural America is at the bottom of their priority list and they will buy their way to power, rather than compromise or negotiate.  No wonder we have drawn a line in the sand.

San Juan County is already home to six federal designations/destinations: Natural Bridges, Hovenweep, Canyonlands, Dark Canyon and Grand Gulch Wilderness areas, and Glen Canyon Recreation Area. Only 8% of our San Juan County’s 5,077,120 acres is privately owned. We are the poorest of 29 counties in the State. We need jobs and a tax base and multiple use of local land not another monument. Some areas in that coveted land, do NOT meet the definition of “public” land, including 43 grazing allotments, 661 water-right infrastructures, 151,000 acres of state trust land, and 18,000 acres of private property, as well as hundreds of miles of roads and infrastructure. 

There is a very good reason we are not happy with yet another possible National Monument designation. And yes, we do not want to become another Moab…even if we do like a lot of the people who have to live there.

Read the whole article

Letter to President's Energy Advisor

Dear Brian Deese, Senior Energy Advisor,

Let me count the ways the Inter-Tribal Coalition Proposal for a Bears Ears Monument is Divisive, Defective, and, Discriminatory:

Designation of such a gigantic National Monument is a privilege that President Obama has already used to excess.  He and his environmental cronies have preyed upon the public lands of the West using multi-million dollar campaigns and media spin to justify such actions.  And you wonder why a line has to be drawn in the sand?  Those ill-conceived extreme actions in Utah, Oregon, Nevada, Hawaii, California, Maine and Arizona are still negatively reverberating throughout the country.  Such actions are contrary to federal laws, and the Bears Ears proposal has disaster written all over it. 

 Initially the proposal by the Coalition - though perhaps well intended by some – has now started to unravel.  The campaign has relied excessively on the power of money instead of truth, which gathered in leaders who could be bought.  Local Native People, are not so easily hoodwinked, and voted out some of these coalition representatives in the last election.  Top down, hand-picked coalition leaders do not, and will never represent a whole tribe, especially ones who never had a chance to vote on such a designation and whose relatives left this area for very good reasons of their own centuries ago.

Rural Americans. Native and Anglo alike, who live and depend upon this rural landscape in San Juan county have been good stewards.  Like urban residents, we too are upset when looting happens in our neighborhoods.  We don’t condone it, nor do we initiate it. We are tired of being categorized in that way, as you would be too, if the national press only publicized looting and destruction in the cities you live in.  We are one of the poorest counties in the nation, and we resent this discriminatory act which would further curtail our chances of economic success. Our county needs multi-use sections of land to support water, power, and road infrastructure, as well as schools, hospitals, and other facilities. The Federal Government does not have a good track record in paying their bills nor in dealing with rural people. Another Monument in Utah will only cause more problems and mistrust.  We cannot jeopardize important services and education by stopping energy production. Nor can tourists afford to drive to this isolated area, without fuel.  

This proposal is very divisive.

The proposal requests actions by the Secretaries and the President that are clearly contrary to law. As an NGO, the Coalition lacks jurisdiction to make such a request, and the proposal itself disregards no less than 18 land use planning efforts.  A NGO should never -- no matter how much foreign money it accepts -- have the power to trump sovereign State rights, nor duly elected officials.  No one in the Four Corners area voted for SUWA, CLF, or Grand Old Broads for their representatives.  Globalists and extreme environmental organizations which seek to weaken this republic, do not represent us.

The POTUS has certain steps that must be complied with prior to designating a monument. The Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) is supposed to be reviewed and managed in accordance with this act. The Advance Research Projects Agency (ARPA), the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the National Park Service Preservation statutes have hoops that need to be jumped through.

At the state level the State Historic Preservation Officers (SHPO) are all supposed to be contacted and considered. We question whether an environmental assessment has even been completed, yet it’s a rule designated by CEQ.  These are just a few of the reasons we are so against, having another National Monument in the State of Utah, and in our backyard.  Utah has already committed 66% of their land to the “public” for various state and federal parks or monuments. What have we gotten back:  Over-promoted areas attracting herds of tourists more concerned about taking selfies against a beautiful backdrop than protecting the culture and history. If you want to have this land truly protected, work with local county residents; get them on your side, and scale this gigantic 1.9 million acres to a Conservancy area in the Cedar Mesa area only. 

Additional reasons why I am against a Monument are contained in this document. http://sanjuancounty.org/documents/Advisability%20of%20Designating%20the%20Bears%20Ears.pdf

Sincerely,

Janet Wilcox, co-founder of Blue Mountain Shadows

A Region Magazine of culture and history serving the Four Corners Area 

Letter to Pres. Obama's Advisers this week.

Let me count the ways the Inter-Tribal Coalition Proposal for a Bears Ears Monument is Divisive, Defective, and, Discriminatory:

Designation of such a gigantic National Monument is a privilege that President Obama has already used to excess. He and his environmental cronies have preyed upon the public lands of the West using multi-million dollar campaigns and media spin to justify such actions. And you wonder why a line has to be drawn in the sand? 

Those ill-conceived extreme actions in Utah, Oregon, Nevada, Hawaii, California, Maine and Arizona are still negatively reverberating throughout the country. Such actions are contrary to federal laws, and the Bears Ears proposal has disaster written all over it. 

Initially the proposal by the Coalition - though perhaps well intended by some – has now started to unravel. The campaign has relied excessively on the power of money instead of truth, which gathered in leaders who could be bought. Local Native People, are not so easily hoodwinked, and voted out some of these coalition representatives in the last election. Top down, hand-picked coalition leaders do not, and will never represent a whole tribe, especially ones who never had a chance to vote on such a designation and whose relatives left this area for very good reasons of their own centuries ago. 

Rural Americans, Native and Anglo alike, who live and depend upon this rural landscape in San Juan county have been good stewards. Like urban residents, we too are upset when looting happens in our neighborhoods. We don’t condone it, nor do we initiate it. We are tired of being categorized in that way, as you would be too, if the national press only publicized looting and destruction in the cities you live in. We are one of the poorest counties in the nation, and we resent this discriminatory act which would further curtail our chances of economic success. Our county needs multi-use sections of land to support water, power, and road infrastructure, as well as schools, hospitals, and other facilities. 

The Federal Government does not have a good track record in paying their bills nor in dealing with rural people. Another Monument in Utah will only cause more problems and mistrust. We cannot jeopardize important services and education by stopping energy production. Nor can tourists afford to drive to this isolated area, without fuel. This proposal is very divisive.

The proposal requests actions by the Secretaries and the President that are clearly contrary to law. As an NGO, the Coalition lacks jurisdiction to make such a request, and the proposal itself disregards no less than 18 land use planning efforts. A NGO should never -- no matter how much foreign money it accepts -- have the power to trump sovereign State rights, nor duly elected officials. No one in the Four Corners area voted for SUWA, CLF, or Grand Old Broads for their representatives. Globalists and extreme environmental organizations which seek to weaken this republic, do not represent us.

The POTUS has certain steps that must be complied with prior to designating a monument. The Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) is supposed to be reviewed and managed in accordance with this act. The Advance Research Projects Agency (ARPA), the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the National Park Service Preservation statutes have hoops that need to be jumped through. 

At the state level the State Historic Preservation Officers (SHPO) are all supposed to be contacted and considered. We question whether an environmental assessment has even been completed, yet it’s a rule designated by CEQ. These are just a few of the reasons we are so against, having another National Monument in the State of Utah, and in our backyard. Utah has already committed 66% of their land to the “public” for various state and federal parks or monuments. What have we gotten back: Over-promoted areas attracting herds of tourists more concerned about taking selfies against a beautiful backdrop than protecting the culture and history. If you want to have this land truly protected, work with local county residents; get them on your side, and scale this gigantic 1.9 million acres to a Conservancy area in the Cedar Mesa area only. 

Additional reasons why I am against a Monument are contained in this document. http://sanjuancounty.org/.../Advisability%20of...

Megabucks Manipulation Involved in Monument Lobby

Learn how Monumental Megabucks are generated and used against rural states as they fight to defend 
water rights, family businesses, and multiple use of land. Swiss billionaire, Hansjorg Wyss has done more to promote the capture of public land in the United States via the creation of new National Monuments than any person on earth. He does this by donating to multiple environmental groups, such as Conservation Lands Foundation.  
Published in Range Magazine, Winter issue 2017. Read the 4 page article by Montana writer,Dave Skinner.

Bear Essentials Dec. 4, 2016

Bear Necessities:  Dec. 4-10

**Actions needed for this week if we want to stop the environmental lobby momentum:

Request from Senator Mike Lee’s Office:  They need all of us to participate in a massive phone calling campaign starting this week. All calls need to be made on on Mondays and Fridays to light up our cause and bump us up to a priority issue.

"No Monument Monday" starts tomorrow!! Followed by Fone-a-thon Fridays”
Call 202-456-1111 or 202-456-1414 between the hours of 7am - 3 pm MST to leave a comment AND leave the same comment online at https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact

Possible script (or you can personalize it as you see fit):
"Hello, my name is _____ and I am a resident of Blanding, Utah. I am calling to express my strong opposition to the proposed Bears Ears National Monument in San Juan County, and I would like to ask President Obama to refrain from designating this monument by Executive Order. I stand with our elected city, county, and Utah's ENTIRE elected congressional delegation, as well as the two local tribes, in opposing this monument. Please, President Obama, we urge you, DO NOT move forward with this monument designation in the last few weeks of your administration. Please, do not put politics over the local people, small as we may seem, We are truly are the ones who will be hurt by this monument designation. Thank you."

**Second priority action:  

Write letters to these three key people.  We have never written to #2 and #3 before, so this is a new strategy suggested by the Senator’s office.

President Barack Obama
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20500
Call to comment: 202-456-1111
wrote: http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact

Christy Goldfuss, Chair
Council on Environmental Quality
722 Jackson Place NW
Washington, DC 20503
Email: chair@ceq.eop.gov

Brian Deese, Senior Energy Advisor
Department of Energy
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20500

Reading for the week:

--National monuments should not be one-man shows, must include local input

--Trade reforms promise big benefits for Utah ranchers, farmers

--Follow the money trail in the Environmental Campaign

Montana Author, Dave Skinner shows how Monumental Megabucks skew the truth.  Open attached files on e-mail if link doesn't work.

--Can Mountain Bikers Save Bears Ears? 

Mountain Bikers' Foray into Bear Ears Country

Bears Ears landscape by Kay Shumway

A week or so ago, a series of visits with Michael Behar began. He is a free lance writer from Boulder, Colorado who planned to write an article about visiting Bears Ears country.  Though his focus was mainly a travel piece, he also hoped to include some information about the national monument controversy. He and others visited San Juan County the first part of October, during the deer hunt, and had a great experience hiking, biking, and camping for the better part of a week. He was with a group of avid mountain bikers, who hoped to find good trails that could be mapped by GPS.

We had several conversations, and sent emails back and forth during the next two weeks as he wrote his article for  Take Part, a "digital news and lifestyle magazine featuring independent journalism on today’s most important, socially relevant topics, alongside a social action platform." (Just discovered this site has since shut down but articles are still available.) Behar's article primarily focused on the experiences of a dozen mountain bikers from a company called Adventure Projects "which produces GPS-based trail guides that users can access through sport-specific smartphone apps. So far, the four-year-old outfit, based in Boulder, Colorado, has mapped 24,546 rides in 30 countries, totaling 87,096 miles, for mountain biking."  The article was published Dec. 2. 

The photographs are stunning in this well-described foray into the wilderness of San Juan, and Behar weaves in some of the pros and cons of a national monument as he recounts their experiences. The majesty of the Abajos was addressed: "The terrain is nothing like I expected," says Behar. "Southeastern Utah is renowned canyon country—a contorted labyrinth of stratified slickrock, teetering hoodoos, dwarfed stands of gnarled juniper, and wind-scoured mesas. But the lofty Abajos are an anomaly, verdant and thickly forested like the pitched-alpine slopes in neighboring Colorado."

Gene Orr Hiking with Scouts on the Blue Mountains circa 1980

Though locals love Blue Mountain’s beauty, even more, they cherish its water, which is the life-line of survival for three communities.  There are often years of drought, when water restrictions are imposed.  Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, often join together, in fasting and prayer during these times, and following that pattern, have survived for 136 years.  Drought will not likely fit lifestyles of picky or pampered tourist industry should a monument be designated, as water restrictions are often imposed.  Another reason San Juan residents are concerned is because neighbors to the west at Grand Staircase Escalante have more problems with looting/ vandalism since a National Monument was designated, than ever before. As numbers increase, do does damage.  Read article.

Behar describes the magnitude of 1.9 million acres: "On examining a map of the proposed area, the sheer breadth is stunning: Its footprint covers about 3.5 percent of Utah, the 13th-largest U.S. state."  And that is precisely why such a proposal would be government overreach and excessive use of the Antiquities Act. It is that staggering size that belies the original intent of the Antiquities Act, which reads, “shall be confined to the smallest area compatible with proper care and management of the objects to be protected.”   A national monument presidential designation is also a unilateral move that does not get a vote in Congress. Such broad, sweeping power is unconstitutional and does not adhere to the ideology of checks and balances.

Behar's article also shows how technology might be used in wilderness areas.  "That our fancy GPS-enabled smartphones provide such limited guidance in our efforts to plumb Bears Ears underscores why the Anasazi settled here in the first place. Its inaccessibility was their greatest defense. They erected cliff houses on narrow ledges hundreds of feet above the canyon floors. We’re able to explore a few of them by scaling low-angle sandstone slopes. But other structures are impossible to reach without rock-climbing equipment."  Therein lies the dilemma that must continue to be discussed, as land managers seek to protect these sites. What do we allow, and where do we draw the line on what can be accessed? And will all local stakeholders be allowed to participate in these discussions? 

One of Behar’s statement I disagreeded with: "If Hatch and Lee succeed, it’s questionable whether future generations will see things like the stunning pictographs that adorn the Moon House’s cramped interior, or its carefully mortared walls that stand wholly intact." In 11^th grade English many moons ago, my students would have recognized this as a fallacy called Dicto Simpliciter.  Though Behar tempers the statement with “questionable” it is still a sweeping generalization, which gives our Senators power, they don't even aspire to, nor does it recognize the fact that county residents would not want to see such sites damaged.  That is why we fear uneducated tourists, like those from Fort Lewis College who practiced their penmanship on the rocks in Grand Staircase.  Read more.

A hyperbolic leap occurs in the title of the article as well, claiming that Bikers Can Save the World by Mapping It.  That might happen if only well-educated bikers came and stayed on the trail and had access to the coordinates, but GPS Id’s like Geo-cashing sites, often invite more problems-- especially when trails lead to something isolated, yet unique and beautiful. The perennial inclination of many humans is to take a “piece of it home.” So trails often lead to more destruction.  Such is the on-going dilemma of this vast area. 

Local "No Monument" supporters, believe these sites need to be protected; but decisions this important must be a joint effort of all parties affected.  There are many stakeholders and all must be represented in the decision making process if any protection at all is achieved, otherwise it becomes a very divisive, top-down, thorn in the side.

I love the honesty of this statement, “What is arguably the last truly wild place in the Lower 48 is simply too immense and primitive for a bunch of cocksure mountain bikers from Boulder to tackle in a five-day foray.” Even more so, I’d say this vast rugged expanse of wilderness will be even more daunting for “Cocksure Coalitionists” who have no clue about land management, no matter what visionary tales they have been promised by the Conservation Lands Foundation.

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