Petzl makes climbing equipment that is used around the world to reach the most inaccessible places, both by professionals and by those who enjoy the great outdoors. One of the most famous climbing areas in the world is right here in Utah: Indian Creek.
Here at Petzl America we were thrilled to learn that Indian Creek would be included in the Bears Ears National Monument, because we see this area as worthy of protection, not only for our customers from around the world, but also for the native people of Utah and the residents of San Juan County.
When the Bears Ears National Monument was designated, the Departments of Interior and Agriculture, in partnership with the Bears Ears Commission made up of Navajo, Hopi, Ute and Zuni tribal representatives, were directed to develop a management plan for San Juan County’s new monument.
Normally, developing a management plan for a national monument is a great opportunity for a local community to plan for its future, especially for a place like San Juan County, the poorest county in Utah with the fastest growing population. The planning process provides a platform for input from all stakeholders regarding how the public land inside the monument will be managed.
Which sites are appropriate for sharing with the public? Which sites might not be? How can local concerns from other land owners near by be addressed? How will increased visitation affect local communities? The land management planning process gives communities the chance to take charge of their future and shape economic development plans that are right for them.
In the history of our national parks and monuments there has often been disagreement and concern from local communities when these special places are protected, and of course here in Utah these issues have been front and center. Yet in nearly every place lucky enough to have a designation, these concerns have been addressed through the management planning process, and no National Monuments or Parks have ever been eliminated or rolled back — because once the issues have been addressed, these designations become important economic drivers for their home regions.
But instead of getting on with sorting out the issues in the Bears Ears, President Trump has left San Juan County in a kind of economic limbo, by ordering a review of all monuments over 100,000 acres that were established since 1996, and demanding an expedited review of the Bears Ears.
Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has weighed in, adding to San Juan County’s economic uncertainty by issuing an “interim report” — following a selective and cursory public review of Bears Ears — recommending that the monument be shrunk and that Congress take up legislation to create National Recreation and Conservation Areas. Zinke is ignoring the painstaking three-year Public Land Initiative that recently failed trying to do just that. There is no reason to think that Congress can succeed this time.
Zinke’s recommendations did not identify where, exactly, the shrunken monument would remain and offered no assurances that a wildly dysfunctional U.S. Congress could pass legislation to bring much-needed protections to the world class cultural resources and recreation opportunities in the Bears Ears. Meanwhile, San Juan County waits in the twilight zone for the other shoe to drop: a final report from Zinke is due Thursday.
The reality is that the proclamation designating the Bears Ears National Monument is the law of the land and it is not up to the discretion of the Interior and Agriculture Departments to delay the required management plan for any reason. Without the plan, none of the issues affecting the county’s future can be resolved. If President Trump and Secretary Zinke truly want improved economic conditions and more jobs for San Juan County, the answer is readily available, commit the resources needed to move forward with a management plan for the Bears Ears National Monument.
Nazz Kurth is president of Petzl America, and is based in Salt Lake City.