Crest, Cliff & Canyon

Update: The deadline for all comments is fast approaching! Bears’ Ears comments are reopened, so if you missed out before, please send one in now. Meanwhile, read on for my two cents regarding some of the other monuments in question.

Grand Staircase-Escalante – if a one-year-old could enjoy it, so can you:

Grand Staircase-Escalante, Utah:

Please keep the current designation of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument unchanged. I have been visiting the monuemnt for well over half my life, both as a backcountry hiker and more recently with a toddler in tow. The scenery and recreational value of the area’s canyon landscapes is easily equal to the best of our National Parks. The less-visited Kaiparowits Plateau section of the monument is equally important thanks to its abundance of dinosaur fossils, a scientific resource of global importance. Over 300 different dinosaur species have been unearthed within Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, 20 of them newly-discovered species. The monument’s substantial size is necessary and appropriate to protect its recreational potential and its scientific and historic sites, particularly those that have not yet been discovered.

With 20 years of data in hand since the monument’s designation, it’s economic benefits to the region are clear. From 2001 to 2015 in Kane and Garfield Counties, population has grown by 13%, jobs have grown by 24% and per capita income has grown by 17%, while non-service jobs have held nearly steady. These are not the statistics of an area that has been severely damaged by the monument. Many local businesspeople and residents have spoken in favor of the monument, and the state of Utah itself actively promotes tourism to the area. The rationale for the original designation remains solid today, and 20 years of protection have demonstrated the wisdom of that choice. Please allow the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument to stand as is!

Vermilion Cliffs, Arizona:

Please keep the boundaries of Vermilion Cliffs National Monument as currently designated. I have been visiting the Paria Canyon and Buckskin Gulch for over 25 years, since before the monument was designated. Generations of recreationists have voted with their feet for the value of these landscapes, as evidenced by the fact that these hikes, as well as the Wave, White Pocket and Coyote Buttes, are among the most coveted destinations in the Four Corners states, staples of guidebooks and promotional brochures, locations that many people visit in favor of more famous nearby parks such as Zion and the Grand Canyon. These are indisputably world-class scenic and recreational areas. The area’s 12,000 years of human historical sites from Paleoindians to Mormon pioneers, rich biology and California condor habitat also amply justify the monument designation.

The monument’s generous acreage is absolutely appropriate for preservation of resources of such abundance and quality. The ongoing use of monument lands for grazing, hunting and off-road driving indicate that the land is not in any way “locked up” to responsible use. Since the monument’s designation 17 years ago, the economies, populations an per capita income in Coconino and neighboring Kane Counties have grown substantially. In light of such data and the excellence of the resources at stake, it is clear that Vermilion Cliffs National Monument was a wise designation and should stand as is.

Basin and Range, Nevada:

Please maintain the boundaries of Nevada’s Basin and Range National Monument as currently designated. Tourism and outdoor recreation are increasingly important in southern Nevada as the region diversifies its economy and serves a growing population. The high density of rock art and archaeological sites makes Basin and Range a landscape suitable for protection under the Antiquities Act, as does its biological diversity. Previously unknown archaeological sites are found in virtually every new survey in this region, and the recent discovery of a new amphibian species elsewhere in Nevada reminds us that much still remains to be discovered in this part of the world.

Wide open spaces are very dear to Nevadans and are a valuable resource to remind all Americans of our nation’s history and character. As populations grow and development spreads in these areas, particularly renewable energy development, unimpacted valleys like those in Lincoln and Nye Counties become themselves objects of significant scientific interest, and protection of large acreage is fitting and necessary. Nevadans support public lands protections by wide margins, and with existing rights and recreation protected by the monument proclamation, this is no land grab. The Las Vegas Metro Chamber of Commerce, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, and a number of major employers including MGM Resorts International, the largest employer in Nevada, supported the establishment of Basin and Range as a National Monument. Please allow Basin and Range National Monument to stand as originally designated.

Gold Butte, Nevada:

Here’s an excellent opinion piece from two Mesquite, NV locals on the history of support for Gold Butte’s protection

Please maintain the boundaries of Gold Butte National Monument in Nevada as currently designated. Though Las Vegas is a major tourism hub and outdoor recreation is increasingly important to southern Nevada’s economy, Nevada remains under-served in officially protected lands compared to surrounding southwestern states. The geologic interest in the intersection of Colorado Plateau geology with Basin and Range tectonic forces is of major scientific significance, and when combined with the monument’s paleontologic, archaeologic, biologic, scenic and recreational values, the monument designation is well justified. Only a large acreage will suffice to protect Gold Butte’s undiscovered resources, as well as the open space and sense of exploration that draw visitors to the area. The monument’s current large acreage is fully appropriate.

Though Gold Butte has seen high-profile controversy, it has major local support among Clark County residents and Nevadans generally. Polls conducted in 2012, 2016, and 2017, reported that 63 percent, 71 percent and 63 percent of Nevadans, respectively, across party lines, supported a National Conservation Area or National Monument designation. The Mesquite City Council passed two resolutions in 2009 and 2010 supporting preservation of the natural and cultural resources in Gold Butte. The Clark County Commission, Las Vegas Paiute Tribe and Moapa Band of Paiutes also approved resolutions of support in 2010. Public meetings were held and well attended. A 2015 analysis of the potential economic benefits found that if only 10 percent of new visitors attracted to Gold Butte stay in Mesquite, the total economic gain for the city would be $2.7 million per year. Gold Butte National Monument is an excellent opportunity both to protect a highly worthy landscape and to strengthen Nevada’s position in the tourism and outdoor recreation markets, and its designation should be allowed to stand as proclaimed.

Giant Sequoia, California:

Please maintain the boundaries of California’s Giant Sequoia National Monument as currently designated. Sequoias are the world’s largest organisms and some of the longest-lived, and as such their scientific and historic value is self-evident. Over half of the world’s remaining sequoia groves are located within the current monument boundaries. 353,000 acres, while it may sound large, is by no means excessive to protect such a large number of sequoia groves, and the monument’s boundaries are already quite gerrymandered and do not encompass more land than is necessary to preserve the groves in their natural setting. Furthermore, the protected lands surrounding the groves contain many hiking trails, campgrounds, waterfalls and rock climbing areas, all of which deserve protection in their own right and contribute to the region’s outdoor recreation economy. Travel and tourism contributed over 55,000 jobs to the Giant Sequoia region in 2015. Outdoor recreation and landscape preservation are both highly popular in California, and the southern Sierra mountains in Kern County in particular are lacking in protected landscapes compared to the more famous National Parks and wilderness areas further north. Giant Sequoia National Monument makes excellent scientific and economic sense, and it’s status should remain as currently designated.

Rio Grande del Norte, New Mexico:

Please maintain the boundaries of Rio Grande del Norte National Monument in New Mexico as originally designated. I am a native-born New Mexican with family still in the state, and the resources which the monument protects are highly valued in northern New Mexico. Hunting, fishing, pine nut and firewood harvesting, and grazing are important to the area’s Hispanic and Native American residents, and are explicitly protected by the monument proclamation, while hiking, natural history, hot springs and whitewater rafting are valuable contributors to economies of Taos, Rio Arriba and Santa Fe Counties. Travel and tourism accounts for 39% of Taos County employment. During the monument’s first year, the Bureau of Land Management registered a 40% increase in tourism, while nearby Taos received a 21% increase in lodging tax revenue. New Mexico’s landscapes remain under-protected compared to the other Four Corners states, and the Rio Grande Gorge in the monument is one of the state’s premier attractions. The monument’s archeological and rock art sites, in addition to their scientific value, are important connections to all New Mexicans to our state’s deep and diverse human history.

The monument’s acreage is appropriate both to protect its scientific resources and to preserve the sweeping views and open space which attract recreationists to the area. During the process leading to monument designation, local support in northern New Mexico was widespread, and local concerns, particularly of the Hispanic and Native American communities, played a major role in shaping the monument proclamation. Post-designation, the region’s tourism economy has thrived and Taos County’s per capita income grew by 27% from 2001 to 2015. Rio Grande del Norte National Monument serves as both an important economic benefit and as a vital connection to New Mexico’s diverse history, and it should be allowed to stand as designated.

Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks, New Mexico:

Please uphold the boundaries of Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument as currently designated. I am a native-born New Mexican with family in southern New Mexico, and the value of these desert lands to my recreational opportunities and my sense of new Mexican heritage is immense. Open spaces, hunting and undeveloped recreation are very important to New Mexicans both personally and economically, and Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument protects these resources close to the state’s second-largest urban area. Travel and tourism support over 9,500 jobs in Dona Ana County, about 19% of total private wage and salary employment. Despite the importance of tourism and outdoor recreation to New Mexico’s economy, to the tune of $6 billion, it has substantially fewer protected areas than neighboring Four Corners states, and the southern half of the state similarly lags behind the north in designated attractions. The monument’s large acreage is entirely appropriate for preserving the large number of archeological, biological, historic and recreation resources within its boundaries.

There has been plenty of history of public support for protection of these lands, including from former Republican Senator Pete Domenici, as well as from my conservative family, hunters and sportsmen. Many Dona Ana County residents and businesses spoke in favor of the monument during the designation process, and data indicates that the monument has brought economic benefits to the region post designation. Please allow Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument to stand as is!

This long view from the Black Range to the Organs is all I’ve got photographically, but if you need more inspiration, Wayne Suggs is your man.

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