Across the American West, influencers— both people in search of the ultimate selfie and promoters of park landscapes—broadcast their experiences to tens of thousands of followers. But at what cost to parks?
Continue readingHow social media videos are changing the experience of national parks
Category: Public Lands & the West
In Utah, outdoor recreation is more and more of a booming business. Its impact on the land is still being understood, but there are few limits in sight.Continue readingCattle or Tourists? Utahns Debate Which Is Harder on Public Lands
Master Leasing Plans were intended to manage resource conflicts on public lands that border national parks and monuments, contain popular hunting and fishing grounds, or shelter cultural artifacts. The Trump administration has moved quickly to set the program aside, freezing progress on proposed plans and restarting leasing in contested areas.Continue readingThe Short Life of The BLM’s Master Leasing Plans
In early December, the administration released further details that would sharply cut back several monuments, most particularly the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante monuments in Utah. Below, we have updated our breakdown of the status of affected monuments in the American West.Continue readingTracking Proposed National Monument Reductions in the West
Here is a map showing the Bears Ears monument proposal and the diverse land ownership within Utah’s San Juan County; some 37 percent of the county would be part of the monument. Continue readingThe Bears Ears Monument: A Closer Look
The Butler petroglyph panel in what would be Bears Ears National Monument. Vandalism and theft at archeological sites have been an ongoing problem. Tim Peterson By Winston Hurst Crow Canyon Archaeological Center Winston Hurst is a archaeologist based in Blanding, Utah who has frequently published scholarly works on the artifacts of the prehistory of the…Continue readingNot On Board With the Bears Ears Crusade
Tim Peterson By Joe Lyman Joe Lyman is a member of the Blanding, Utah town council, and the great-grandson of one of settlers who came in 1879. Massive tracts of land being declared National Monuments violates the very Antiquities Act used to enact them as they are to be “confined to the smallest area compatible…Continue readingWhy Oppose the Bears Ears National Monument?
The Bears Ears region, home to some of our nation’s earliest antiquities, can open the eyes of people who want to learn about a past that is older than what is usually taught, and if protected, can help create a more informed national citizenry.Continue readingNative Experience Can Help Inform the American Citizenry
Photo courtesy Anna Elza Brady By Anna Elza Brady Gavin Noyes Anna Elza Brady is the Policy & Communications Strategist for Utah Diné Bikéyah, a Native-led nonprofit organization that has been working to protect Bears Ears since 2010. In the wake of this week’s deeply fractured general election, millions of Americans are grasping to figure…Continue readingAn Unprecedented Coalition of Five Sovereign Tribal Nations
After months of anticipation, the Obama Administration has designated 1.3 million acres of southeastern Utah as the Bears Ears National Monument. The decision, announced 22 days before the end of the administration, has been met with praise and criticism. Here, we present several perspectives on this momentous decision.Continue readingThe Bears Ears National Monument