Bears Ears

In the upcoming weeks President Obama has a big decision to make. It is whether or not to declare a national monument in southeastern Utah.  The Bears Ears area is the most historical part of the country not protected. There are over 100,000 archaeological sites in the Bears Ears area of Utah.

This area has been the center of a heated debate for years.  There are strong opinions on both sides. The Bears Ears were named for two buttes that stick up from the surrounding plain. From a distance they look like two Bears Ears. The president is considering making a monument anywhere from 1.4-1.9 million acres.

Obviously environmentalists are for the creation of this monument. I personally would love to know there is a million plus acres just sitting there to explore. Also, for the first time in history many Indian Tribes came together in a coalition to ask the president to make the national monument. For the Native Americans, this area is sacred. It is quite understandable, for there are so many important sites. Protecting their heritage makes far more sense than destoying them with mines, roads, and off road vehicles.

Of course, there is opposition to the monument. The biggest opponent is Utah Senator and douche bag extraordinaire Rob Bishop. He is against any Federal interference in Utah or the west. If he had his way the land would be given back to the states and sold off to the highest bidder at auction. So instead of all of us using the land for many purposes (besides the hikers and campers, ranchers are allowed to graze cattle and would continue to if made a monument) the land would be sold off and closed permanently by gas, oil, mines, and ranchers.

Rob Bishop organized a thing called the Public Lands Inititive (PLI) that was an attempt to keep the Feds out of deciding what is best for Utah. It took him over three years to come up with his proposal. Some of the land would be protected wilderness, other areas would be set aside for drilling, mining, etc... It seemed like a good compromise. I understand I would be a hypocrite if I was completely against oil drilling. I love driving. I understand we need oil as much as I'd like to be a tree hugger, I get it.

 The problem was Bishop is an asshole whose biggest contributors are big oil ( I looked that up a few months ago, I did not hear it second hand or pull it out of my butt. Got it from his contributors list).  His plan was a straight up slap in the face to the Natives. Secondly, some of the land he was "protecting" was already protected. Places that were already parks and monuments were on the list of protected acres. Needless to say, his bill did not go over well with environmentalists or Native Americans. Of course, Congress being Congress, did nothing with the bill before they went home for the holidays. So, nothing has happened.

The people that live in Utah are pretty evenly split for and against the monument. I've read anywhere from 55-71% of Utahans support it.Which poll you believe is based on how you feel about the monument. Some Utah people, just don't want federal intervention. Others who ride off road vehicles do not want the area closed off. This is certainly a legit concern if you love riding ATVs.

More often than not, National Monuments are not favored by locals. They do not want the Feds controlling "their" land. Even the Grand Canyon and the plains around the Tetons were not well received by the states. Can you imagine if Teddy R. did not make the Grand Canyon a monument? It would have been a national travesty.

I personally fear that Indians will have too much control. I think a National Monument should be open to all Americans. I fear that Indians may get legal rights to "guide" tourists to areas of the monument. I worry certain areas will be closed off because they are too"culturally sensitive".

None the less, I am for the creation of the monument. I am clearly biased and have followed the news every day. I have done my best in this post to be fair to both sides. There are burial sites and literally thousands of historic sites. There is also oil and uranium. I've read the plea by the governor to the President not to make it a monument. I read the proposal by the Native American coalition begging for a monument. The San Juan County Commission is against it and the Friends of Cedar Mesa support it. If you are interested in reading about the Bears Ear Proposal, there is plenty to find on the internet for and against. With Trump as the incoming president and a Republican Congress, the only chance this land has to be protected from exploitation is for the President to make it a  National Monument. This is something I am rooting for!