Support Southern Utah National Monuments

Secretary Ryan Zinke, US Department of Interior

The State of Utah has been pushing back against maintaining the recently established Bears Ears Nat. Monument in Southern Utah as well as disputing the boundaries of the nearby Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.  This petition will urge Secretary Zinke to fight to maintain the current borders of these national monuments.

Sponsored by
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Lake Forest Park, WA

To: Secretary Ryan Zinke, US Department of Interior
From: [Your Name]

We are a group of concerned citizens; moms, dads, grandparents, young working people and teenagers writing you to urge the U.S. Department of Interior to accept and support the recently established national monuments in Southern Utah: The Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante, as they are currently designated.

Our National Monuments encompass small remnants of our once-vast wild lands and are all America has left from the days of our frontier. These lands belong to all Americans, including our children, our ancestors, and those who were here before us and who's history on this continent and on this land precedes most of us by thousands of years.

Initially proposed by Harold Ickes in 1936, Bears Ears was finally realized in late 2016, only after substantial discussion. Bears Ears is specifically established for management by a coalition of agencies and Tribal groups. Existing use by locals was grandfathered in as part of the designation. The monument designation protects these special places for our future and our children's future. Diminishing these monuments in size or exploiting them for short term economic gain destroys that. If we exploit these areas, they are gone.

Furthermore, despite fears of negative economic impacts resulting from the designation of such monuments, history has shown that monuments, like National Parks, are good for local economies.

We strongly urge the Department of Interior to respect the Native American Tribal groups that have worked so hard and so long to protect this land with its artifacts, art, and dwellings that are sacred to them.

We are residents not of Utah but of America. This is our land, our National Parks, National Monuments, Seashores and Historical Sites. We respect and intend to protect these lands and our common heritage. We request that you respect and protect them also.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this important matter.