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Read up on featured locations and activities as well on how to best preserve our precious Wild Spaces.

Ten Reasons National Parks are Simply Awesome

8/26/2019

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The National Park Service turns 103 today! In their honor, I've compiled a list of 10 reasons why our national parks, despite crowds and growing pressures, are still as awesome as ever.

So get ready, as we dive into what is best about our amazing national parks.
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​10 - Scenic Wonderlands

Let's begin with the gloriously, delightfully obvious.

Our national parks are home to some of the most phenomenal, spirit-lifting, gasp-inducing vistas to be found in the known and unknown universe.

The Earth is an intergalactic treasure by every calculation — and our national parks (home to some of the planet's very finest scenery), are home to some of the very best scenery to be found ANYWHERE. 

The Star Wars movies famously interpreted individual planets as singular ecosystems, but guess what: Hoth, Endor, Tatooine, Yavin and the like aren't locations in some galaxy far, far away. They're all real places located right here on earth, many of which are national parks.
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9 - Adventures of a Lifetime

Adventure is a relative term. For some, surviving a day without Netflix, YouTube or facebook might be adventurous. Others prefer class-five whitewater, scaling the odd stratovolcano, or backpacking virgin arctic tundra, 100 or more miles from the nearest flushing toilet.

Fortunately, national parks can easily satisfy both groups and everyone in between. Regardless of your age or experience, there's enough adventure in our national parks to fill a thousand lifetimes.

The most important thing to remember is to start small, climbing gradually up the adventure scale. Start with a few scenic drives or shuttle rides, sprinkled with a couple picnics and day hikes. Then when you're ready gradually and responsibly turn the dial up on your adventures.

​You'll learn a lot about yourself, the planet we all depend on, and have incredible experiences along the way. Before you know it, you'll be climbing peaks, paddling wild rivers and passionately protecting these priceless landscapes.

Personal note: We love so many parks and we don't really have a favorite, but there is something truly special about Yosemite. There are adventures and beauty to be found in Yosemite National Park and the Sierra Nevadas that surpassed even our very high expectations. 

For a taste, check out this video as we summit Yosemite's iconic Half Dome (best you'll find anywhere), and subscribe to At Home in Wild Spaces on YouTube for more inspiring and adventurous national park videos!


​8 - Economics

Eww... gross.

I have to be careful here. Money, its hold on society, and the tendency of some to pursue it at all costs arguably remains the greatest threat to our national parks and other public lands. Ironically, money is pretty awful and defining true value. Far too much has been destroyed because we used money to appraise what is priceless.

But for better or worse money is here to stay and is too often the only language some people understand. The good news is, national parks and preservation in general, are incredibly valuable in terms of money. Current estimates suggest national parks are responsible for $92 billion dollars in annual economic benefit in the United States alone.

That figure represents more than tourism dollars. Our national parks and their healthier than average ecosystems provide direct and secondary economic value in the form of clean drinking water, fertile soils, buffers against natural disasters, atmospheric regeneration, carbon storage, food stores and other renewable resources that would be greatly weakened if not outright destroyed were it not for our national parks.

Why on earth then can we not properly fund our parks? Seems like a very poor investment strategy to me.
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​7 - National Parks Never Get Old

As someone who visits numerous national parks year after year, I can attest to the fact that even the most familiar park keeps things fresh and can seem entirely new with each visit. 

From the time of year, weather and seasons to new trails and activities, or learning something new about a place you thought you knew so well: national parks are perfectly equipped to keep the surprises coming for years and years. 

To say nothing of their timeless landscapes and inspiring beauty. If only we aged as well, right?

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​6 - National Parks are Unpredictable

One of my all-time favorite signs (yep, I have fovorites) can be found at trailheads throughout Yellowstone National Park and warns, "[t]here are inherent dangers associated with hiking in bear country. THERE IS NO GUARANTEE OF YOUR SAFETY."

While that's probably not much comfort to those suffering from Arkoudaphobia (fear of bears), I find this sign positively delightful. For me, it signifies one of the greatest virtues of our national parks. At least when compared with much in our modern world, national parks have not been sanitized or child-proofed. Efforts have been made to retain or restore their natural, primal and unpredictable character. 

In Yellowstone alone, bears can appear anywhere, one-ton bison lock horns in epic earth-shaking battles,  and stampede through the park (check out the video below). Snow can fall on the first day of summer like it did this year, geysers and thermal features can lay dormant for years and suddenly erupt sending water, steam and even rocks hundreds of feet into the air. It's marvelous.
About Video: The stampede began before we could stop the car and retrieve our cameras. This video begins moments after dozens of bison (in a herd of hundreds) galloped through dozens of cars, missing most but hitting a few. Check out our side-view mirror: remarkably undamaged by a bison that bumped into the side of our car at full speed.

Now don't worry. For a well-prepared and well-informed traveler, national parks are not unusually dangerous. If you don't let your enthusiasm overwhelm your judgment, remain flexible and avoid complacency, then national parks are dreamscapes where you can forge experiences and memories that will stay with you for the rest of your life.

On the other hand, nature is all too happy to remind the foolish, ill-prepared, or complacent who is in charge. In this way, she can seem harsh, and year after year there are tragic cases of people crossing a line and getting needlessly injured or killed.

But where nature chastises those who take her for granted, she rewards humility and preparation handsomely. So take the time to prepare yourself and those in your party appropriately. Use the resources provided by the national park service, and here on athomeinwildspaces.com to make sure your national park adventure ends in triumph.

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​5 - Time Travel

Yep, that's right — time travel. But forget any thoughts of flux capacitors and quantum tunnels. That's Hollywood, national parks offer the real thing. 

Start off by heading to one of our numerous dark sky parks and appreciate the stars in all their undiminished glory, realizing that you're in fact peering hundreds of thousands of years into the past. When looking at the night sky, you're seeing at the universe as it was eons ago and not as it exists today. Viewing the literal past is a great way to feel incredibly small, yet incredibly significant.

Not time-travely enough for you? Then take a hike. I'm serious. Go hiking.

You may not know it, but hiking is about as close as you can get to literally traveling through time. On trails like The Queen's Garden/Navajo Loop in Bryce Canyon National Park (video available below) you'll begin on a forested plateau, gradually descending past "new" hoodoos just emerging from the rim before passing older, smaller, more eroded hoodoos as you near the canyon floor. For the geologically observant traveler, it's like traveling forward and backward in time and watching Bryce Canyon's wondrous amphitheater emerge over eons of erosion.
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About Video: Known as, "The best three-mile hike in the world". Here's the Queen's Garden/Navajo Trail in Bryce Canyon National Park.


Just like peering through time while hiking through Bryce Canyon, ​you can do the same thing when hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park, where the Rockies once rivaled the towering heights of the modern Himalayas and Andes, but have over hundreds of millions of years eroded away to their diminished, albeit still inspiring height. Look for glacial cirques and imagine the massive, long-vanished rivers of ice, rounding jagged peaks and carving massive valleys, basins and canyons.

Finally, my personal favorite form of national park time travel, is the ability to see the wild, primal character of North America before European settlement and the short-sighted wholesale destruction that followed.

Now I'll admit — there are some differences. Native tribes have been displaced,  and some  of the natural features are choked by traffic and travelers carrying selfie sticks. 
But on an early morning, in the backcountry away from the crowds, there's a special experience awaiting you.

Surrounded by wild, primal scenery; inhabited by the full suite of native animal life, you'll be transported back in time to a younger, healthier continent that was almost lost forever.  

It's an experience you can't find almost anywhere outside a handful of national parks and the furthest reaches of the globe, where development, consumptive interests, and livestock have been kept at bay. It's akin to having a revelation: as if you've had your eyes closed you're whole life, then open them for the first time.​

Trust me it's super cool and a fundamental reason why national parks remain one of our very best ideas and most important treasures. 
About Video: Speaking of time travel, take a time-bending tour of our national parks with this breathtaking time-lapse video from At Home in Wild Spaces.


​4 - Accessiblility

In a perfect world, national parks would be equally accessible to everyone who visits responsibly and generally speaking, they are. With the exception of national parks being mostly concentrated out west where there was (and is) open land to be set aside and preserved; national parks are open to everyone for relatively little cost.

For $35 or less per car or $15 or less per person, plus the cost of travel; anyone can visit any national park in the United States and enjoy some of the greatest natural wonders in the world.

As travel expenses go, that's pretty much an unbeatable deal. If you've found a better bargain, I'd love to hear about it. The only competition I can think of would be visiting a national forest or other public lands. You gotta love Wild Spaces.
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​3 - National Parks are Classrooms

If my school experience had included more about the national parks — perhaps even an occasional visit, I like to think that I would have been a much more attentive student.

National parks are some of the best classrooms available. They are ground zero for our ever-increasing understanding of the world and how our actions affect it. Spend some time in park visitor centers and speaking with park rangers. It will amaze you what we are learning in our national parks.

In addition to learning about the natural world, our parks are also where we learn about ourselves. They are home to some of our most celebrated triumphs, and some of our most shameful mistakes. They are time capsules that preserve not only our natural heritage but our cultural heritage as well.

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​2 - Next Stop: Extinction

This is simultaneously one of the hardest and yet most wonderful aspects of our national parks. The past few centuries have been witness to remarkable, inexcusable destruction.

Whether in the name of Manifest Destiny and the pursuit of riches at the expense of all else, or as the result of exploitive and even cruel policies and practices — humanity has at times blazed an awful, even shameful trail of carnage on our march to the modern era.

Our national parks in many ways are the rock upon which this terrible wave of destruction has been broken. Within our parks, the whole community of natural life can find refuge and a home. Our parks provide essential habitat for the most beloved and the most maligned creatures in all the natural world. And as intended have served as precious "reservoirs of life" preserving and often times replenishing the continent's decimated flora and fauna.

Most people likely know how our national parks have saved bison, wolves and bears from extinction, but not many know the key role Yellowstone and other parks have played in restoring populations of elk, bighorn sheep, pronghorn and other popular "game" animals.

My home state of Utah, as well as our neighbors Colorado and Nevada, are among dozens of states that either completely or almost completely destroyed their native elk populations. Thanks to Yellowstone and its reservoir of protected animal life, Utah and many of our fellow states are again home to healthy or resurgent elk populations.

In addition to preserving wildlife, national parks are the final home to many of the last vital stands of irreplaceable forests.

From old-growth rainforests to the tallest and largest trees on the planet, national parks have been an indispensable tool in preserving many of the most astonishing, inspiring, and important forests in the world. Were it not for conservation efforts of people like you and the acquisition and transfer of many of those stands to the national park system, we might have lost priceless and remarkable ecosystems that can be found nowhere else in the world.

Our parks may be the best and last defense against the enduring threat of extinction for countless plants and animals. Our parks preserve crucial, mostly intact, ecosystems that may hold the key to restoring healthy systems to the globe. They are a kind of Noah's Ark, sheltering and protecting life from the raging storm of exploitation.

This alone makes our national parks worthy of the soberest respect and appreciation. The world is a better, healthier, and more hopeful place with national parks and nature preserves in it.

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​1 - They belong to you and me

The most amazing thing about our national parks is that fact that we all share ownership and responsibility for them. Regardless of your station in life, if you are a citizen of the United States or even a citizen of the world, you have a vested interest in the welfare and preservation of our national parks.

So, so much has been lost, surveyed, sold, and developed out of existence. It's truly sobering to think of what we've destroyed, including beauty and wonders we cannot fathom and may never know again. But some of the very best this world has to offer or ever has had to offer has been bequeathed to us in trust — to be preserved, protected,  responsibly enjoyed and added to.

One of the earliest patrons of the parks once said, "Every right implies a responsibility; Every opportunity an obligation; every possession a duty."

Keep that in mind next time you visit a national park. Don't be afraid to invite others to tread lightly and see our parks as more than backgrounds for selfies, mere natural curiosities or checkmarks for bucket lists. They are so much more. Let's treat them as such.

I leave you with this: All is not well in our national parks. Under increasing pressures, the parks are suffering from heavy, often destructive, sometimes outright foolish use. This is compounded further by insufficient funds and special interests that would like to see them further exploited.

There are very real concerns about the long-term welfare or our parks. Our right to enjoy these treasures demands we do so responsibly. We have a duty to protect these special places and to foster a culture of responsible recreation.

By all means, visit our incredible parks — but don't let it end there. Open your mouth, advocate for their responsible use, and become a life-long defender of these amazing Wild Spaces.

​We're it not for people like you, we'd have no parks at all. We need them, and they need you.
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There you have it. That's our list of 10 reasons our national parks are simply awesome. Did we miss anything? Please share your thoughts in the comments below, to help support us and help preserve Wild Spaces, drop by our store for great Wild Spaces apparel and make sure to follow At Home in Wild Spaces on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and right here at athomeinwildspaces.com
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Yellowstone National Park: A Visual Tribute

5/10/2018

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In 2012, nearly a decade since my last visit I returned to Yellowstone National Park for Labor-day Weekend. Though my most recent recollections of the world's first national park had aged significantly, they were anything but stale.  

Mere moments after passing over the park boundary, I was reacquainted with the sublime sights and sounds of this priceless wilderness. Since that labor-day weekend, my wife and I have returned to Yellowstone every year.

Our visits have become something of an annual pilgrimage – a tradition that has helped us remain centered. They are a time for family, and a time for making memories with our son. Each visit reignites our passion and respect for the natural world and fuels our desire share and help preserve all that is wild. We are immensely grateful that those who  had the wisdom to preserve this gem as a national park "for the benefit and enjoyment of the people".

It is in that spirit that we share this 4K visual tribute to Yellowstone National Park. We captured this footage during our visit in September 2017. This virtual tour highlights many of the park's iconic locations and is the next best thing to heading out on a classic Yellowstone wildlife safari.

We invite you to sit back, relax, and enjoy the sights and sounds of Yellowstone National Park in breathtaking Ultra HD. Remember to tread lightly and Leave No Trace when visiting our National Parks and other Wild Spaces.

​What's your favorite part of visiting Yellowstone? Share in the comments below and make sure to check out the many travel resources available here on www.athomeinwildspaces.com.
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One Month Later: Do Trump's Bears Ears and Grand Staircase reductions hold up?

1/4/2018

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Photo: Northern boundary of the 2016 Bears Ears National Monument designation as viewed from Dead Horse Point State Park. By At Home in Wild Spaces.

Utah – A month of hindsight is a valuable thing. With a new year now underway, let's examine what we know concerning the legality of last year's reductions to Utah's national monuments and discuss how the issue may develop in 2018.

The question where it all begins: Were President Trump's December reductions even legal? Answer: Undetermined

​The argument for the legality of President Trump's monument reductions is relatively simple and based on two claims.

Claim #1-The Antiquities Act grants the President discretionary authority to both designate new monuments and alter or revoke previous designations.

Claim #2 - There is precedent. 


So how well do these two claims hold up to scrutiny? Answer: Not great.

The Antiquities Act gives Presidents authority to create national monuments on federally owned land at their discretion, but says nothing of altering or revoking previous designations. Ultimately, all hope for the long term legitimacy of President Trump's monument reductions rests on the question of precedent.

There have been at least 19 occasions where past presidents have amended monument boundaries by executive action, but this is where support for Trump’s cuts gets, well... problematic.

Historic monument alterations by presidents weren't necessarily reductions. For example: On August 14, 1962 President Kennedy signed a proclamation declassifying 320 acres of Utah’s own Natural Bridges National Monument, also adding 5,236 acres to the monument. Other alterations addressed oversights in previous designations where private property had been included within the original monument.

This all begs the question: What criteria, if any, must be met before President’s may alter existing monuments? Again, on these questions The Antiquities Act is completely silent.

While there are some clear examples of a one or two relatively moderate reductions, generally speaking alterations have been both minor and infrequent. President Trump's reductions on the other hand are frankly – unprecedented. His Dec 4, 2017 proclamations shrink Bears Ears (originally 1.35 million acres) by 1.15 million acres, and Grand Staircase-Escalante (1.9 million acres) by nearly 900,000 acres. 

Historically, presidential reductions to monuments rarely affected more than 800 acres, less than one thousandth of Trump's reduction to Grand Staircase. The largest historical monument reduction occurred in 1915 when President Wilson, claiming the timber was needed for the war effort in Europe reduced Mount Olympus National Monument by 313,000 acres, a reduction that went unchallenged in court as did FDR's 72,000 acre reduction of Grand Canyon National Monument in 1940.

President Trump’s Dec 4th reductions alone strip monument status from 2 million acres: nearly four and a half times the 461,000 acres removed from national monuments by all of Trump’s predecessors – combined. And unlike the now relatively moderate reductions to Olympic and Grand Canyon, Trump's reductions were immediately met by a cascade legal challenges.

Finally, there is the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 to consider. Passed since the last presidential monument reduction in 1964, granting congress power and influence over national monument management decisions.


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Photo: Sunrise looking East from Bears Ears National Monument. By At Home in Wild Spaces
So what does this all mean for 2018?

Since past reductions went unchallenged, the question of legality is being argued into a void. There is no clear answer as of yet whether the President's discretionary power to designate monuments also extends to altering or diminishing designations.

President Trump's proclamations are set to go into effect in early February; 60 days after they were signed. If one of the various courts now considering challenges to the President's reductions were to rule against them, implementation of Trump's proclamations would likely be held in legal stasis until a final verdict is made.

The ultimate question of legality may well be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court, though not likely before years end. Whenever the decision comes, it's guaranteed to be historic.

And then there's the question of congressional elections. Can or would congress throw its hat into the ring with legislative measures to support or overturn the President's monument reductions? Utah's delegation has already put forth legislation that would, if passed, make the reductions permanent and transfer some ex-monument lands to the state of Utah.

What do you think? How and when will the fate of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments be decided. Make sure to leave a comment below and share.

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Bears Ears: Fact Checking Utah's Governor

1/4/2018

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Preface: This article was written for and initially approved for publication by KSL.com (Utah's largest news organization). Plans for publication were however abandoned by management believing it "might cause friction" with the Deseret News (KSL's sister company), which published Governor Herbert's op-ed, 5 myths about bears ears on Dec 4th, 2017. 

It is not the purpose of this article to attack the Governor or the Deseret News, but to make an independent and fact-based assessment of claims made in Governor Herbert's Dec 4th op-ed. 
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Photo courtesy of Geoff and Jamie Harmon.
December 4, 2017 – Following petitions by Utah's congressional delegation, the Utah state legislature and Utah's Governor Gary Herbert to shrink or rescind Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears National Monuments, President Donald Trump signed two presidential proclamations slashing monument status from 2 million acres previously designated by Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.

Immediately following the reductions, Utah's Governor Gary Herbert published an article in the Deseret News in which responds to what he calls 5 "myths" relative to the debate over Bears Ears National Monument. 

What follows is a fact-based assessment of the arguments put forth in Governor Herbert’s op-ed 5 myths about Bears Ears. The Governor’s response to each "myth" will be rated as True, False, Problematic, Undetermined or Misleading. Due to the layered nature of the Governor's claims more than one verdict may be rendered.

(Note) For reasons not explained by Governor Herbert, his article omits any mention of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Since both Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments were altered in parallel, this article will assess the governor’s claims as they relate to both monuments – not just Bears Ears.

“Myth” #1 according to Gov. Herbert: By reducing the size of BENM, these federal lands will be transferred to the state of Utah and/or private entities.

The Governor’s response: BENM was designated on federal lands that will remain under federal ownership regardless of monument status. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has adamantly opposed the wholesale transfer or privatization of federal public lands, and that commitment is reflected in this modification of monument boundaries.

Verdict: Undetermined/Misleading.

While it is true that President Trump’s proclamations do not transfer ownership of any federal land to the “state or private entities”, it is also true according to Article IV Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution that Congress­­, not the president – makes all determinations regarding the sale or transfer of federal land. Secretary Zinke’s personal persuasions as cited by Governor Herbert do not dictate decisions concerning the sale or transfer of federal lands.

The Governor’s claim that monument lands won’t be “transferred to Utah/or private entities” must be rated as undetermined since removal of national monument status now allows for that possibility. And given Governor Herbert's own efforts along with Utah's congressional delegation and other state leaders to compel the federal government to relinquish ownership of more than 30 million acres of federal lands to the state of Utah,  the Governor's claims must also be rated as misleading.

See also Transfer of Public Lands Act, Utah Public Lands Initiative, Utah Enabling Act Litigation and Utah H.C.R.1.

There is little to no evidence to suggest Utah's political leaders won't pursue State ownership of previous monument lands. Quite the opposite. Shortly after President Trump’s cuts to Grand Staircase and Bears Ears, Utah’s Representative Chris Stewart introduced new legislation that would, if passed by Congress, transfer former monument lands to the state of Utah.

Governor Herbert’s own public statements supply further uncertainty regarding his claims about the fate of declassified monument lands should the state acquire them, having state previously, “liquidating” federal land is an idea “worth exploring”, adding, “I would argue we could privatize public land and have it developed commercially…"
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Sunrise from Bears Ears. Photo by At Home in Wild Spaces.
“Myth” #2 according to Gov. Herbert: Without national monument status, the vast landscape of the Bears Ears region will be subjected to unchecked exploitation.

The Governor’s response: Before Obama’s monument designation in December 2016, the Bears Ears region was mostly federal public land subject to a network of federal protections that conserve the area’s natural beauty and archeological treasures. Trump’s reconfiguration of the monument’s boundaries does not change the federal ownership of these lands and maintains the existing system of federal protections.

The Governor then cites the Dark Canyon Wilderness, and a number of the “wilderness study areas” which he claims “ensure the integrity of beautiful scenic vistas”, by prohibiting activities like, “motorized travel or natural resource extraction”.

Verdict: True but Problematic

The Governor is right that before Bears Ears and Grand Staircase were designated as monuments there were protections already in place like The Archaeological Resources and Protection Act, prohibiting looting or vandalism of archaeological sites and artifacts.

Each land management agency also has authority to enact and enforce protective policies and regulations governing both recreational and commercial use of public lands. There are however limits and susceptibilities within the protections cited by the Governor.

The Governor’s reference to Wilderness and Wilderness Study Areas is one such example. The Wilderness Act authorizes Congress to designated wilderness areas, which as the Governor claims permanently prohibit all motorized vehicles and natural resource extraction. Wilderness Study Areas or WSAs on the other hand are only managed as wilderness until Congress makes a determination on whether or not to grant them full wilderness status. They are not permanently protected.

The 43,353-acre Dark Canyon Wilderness is the only congressionally designated wilderness within the original Bears Ears National Monument, and protects a mere 3% of the land affected by the Obama era designation. Unless granted full wilderness status the eleven Wilderness Study Areas cited by Governor Herbert, only temporarily protect 381,000 acres (roughly 28%) of the 2016 Bears Ears designation from motor vehicle use and natural resource extraction.

Without monument protections the remaining 69% of the Bears Ears region remains  susceptible to both motorized travel and natural resource extraction, as might portions of the eleven wilderness study areas if not granted full wilderness status.


Grand Staircase-Escalante contains twelve WSAs and no designated wilderness areas.

Finally, less than 10% of the more than 100,000 archaeological sites within Bears Ears have been formally surveyed. Archaeologists and Paleontologist alike have expressed concern that removal of monument status has compromised the safety of what has been called one of the countries largest stores of historic and prehistoric treasures.
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Photo courtesy of Geoff and Jamie Harmon
“Myth” #3 according to Governor Herbert: Without national monument status, the Bears Ears region will be crisscrossed by coal mines, oil rigs and gas pipelines.

The Governor’s response: Mineral resources beneath Bears Ears are scarce. There is no developable oil and gas. The region’s nonrenewable resources, including uranium near the Daneros Mine, were actually outside the expansive monument boundaries declared by Obama. The integrity of the Bears Ears landscape, long kept intact before the creation of the monument, will almost certainly remain intact after Trump’s announcement. And to ensure this going forward, the state of Utah is asking for congressional legislation that will exclude the region from mineral extraction.

Verdict: False/Misleading/Undetermined
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The “myth” as presented by the Governor is somewhat hyperbolic, but the governor’s claim that “(There) is no developable oil and gas” is incorrect. While there is some debate over the practicality of mining or energy extraction within much of the Bears Ears National Monument region, the USGS concluded the Paradox Basin (much of which was protected within Bears Ears NM) contained an estimated “89 million barrels of oil, 833 billion cubic feet of gas, and 18 million barrels of natural gas liquids”.

Since 2013 the oil and gas industry has in fact lobbied the BLM for access to more than 100,000 acres of land inside or within one mile of the Bears Ears NM. According to the BLM, “There are 23 existing federal oil and gas leases either partially or wholly located within the Bears Ears National Monument” as well as dozens of active and inactive oil, gas and mining (including uranium mining) operations.

While, there are different views about how accessible the natural resources may be within Bears Ears National Monument the same is not true of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (home to the substantial Kaiparowits Plateau Coal Field), which contains an estimated 62.3 billion tons of “coal resources” the largest known deposit in Utah and made access-able under President Trump's reductions. The same assessment also concluded that, “the monument (Grand Staircase-Escalante) contains all the elements necessary for major oil and gas accumulations.”

The 1996 designation of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in fact halted plans for a ANDALEX coal mine on the Kaiparowits plateau.

It is clear that both monuments house significant stores of natural resources, and removal of monument status raises questions about whether mining or drilling operations will again target declassified monument lands.

Governor Herbert's promise that, “the state of Utah is asking for congressional legislation that will exclude the region from mineral extraction” remains somewhat suspect given evidence that some of Utah's leaders have expressed extractive aspirations on federal and declassified monument lands.Utah’s Senator Orrin Hatch, has stated, “We’ve got billions of dollars in oil and gas leasing that would help our communities… in San Juan County and all over the state of Utah if we could just get the BLM to do its job...”

Whether or not in Governor Herbert’s words, “mines”, “rigs” and “pipelines” “crisscross” the area is yet to be seen, but having removed monument status from 2 million acres, President Trump has opened doors to that possibility.
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Northern boundary of Bears Ears National Monument removed from monument under President Trump's proclamations (Photo taken from Dead Horse Point State Park). Photo by At Home in Wild Spaces.
“Myth” #4 according to Governor Herbert: National monument status will protect the rich archaeological sites and artifacts in the Bears Ears region.

The Governor’s response: Looting and vandalism are ongoing problems because the region lacks sufficient federal law enforcement. Existing federal laws such as the Archaeological Resources Protection Act and the Paleontological Resources Preservation Act are just two federal laws that protect precious cultural and scientific sites on federal land regardless of status. But the Bureau of Land Management’s law enforcement presence, once a formidable force in the area, has steadily declined due to federal budget constraints and workforce reductions. The designation of BENM brings no guarantees of improved law enforcement, but it does guarantee growing tourist visitation to vulnerable archaeological sites that will spread BLM resources even thinner and likely aggravate problems with looting and vandalism.

Verdict: True but Problematic.

(Note) This topic has previously been covered in section two, where the governor's arguments focused mainly on concerns relating to natural resource extraction and motorized vehicle use. The True but Problematic ruling will thus automatically be applied to this section as well. What follows will address the Governor's arguments relating to vandalism, visitation and law enforcement resources.

The Archaeological Resources Protection Act and The Paleontological Resources Preservation Act provide legislative protections for historic artifacts and fossils, they do not provide any protective measures for geologic or scenic features.

Looting, tagging, collecting or destroying historic/scientific artifacts or other natural resources persists on all public lands whether national parks, monuments, forests, BLM lands, etc. despite current laws and regulations prohibiting such activities.
Monument designations as with other layers of protection do not as the governor states, guarantee greater success when combating vandalism, without the adequate resources to enforce those protections.

Governor Herbert suggests a Bears Ears NM will “guarantee” greater numbers of visitors, potentially increasing concerns about vandalism, but in truth visitation will continue to grow, with or without monument protections give the popularity of locations such as Lake Powell, Monument Valley, Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, Natural Bridges National Monument, etc... all of which share boundaries with or are located near the affected monuments.

The Governor’s shift to the discussion of adequate resources is problematic given the initial boost to funding following the designation of 1996 Grand Staircase-Escalante. It may be true that monuments are not guaranteed more resources, but monuments have also historically been the recipients of greater resources. 

There is also an element of culture that the Governor fails to address. Even with pre-monument laws and resources in place to protect what is considered the highest concentration of historic artifacts in the country, there have been local protests against those same regulations. The Governor himself even donated $10,000 for restitution fees for
San Juan county commissioner Phil Lyman, found guilty of organizing and participating in a protest where he and others rode ATVs in prohibited areas with sensitive archaeological sites.
​
While the governor correctly names some limited protections and discusses the effect of budget and resource constraints, he fails to comprehensively address a number of important factors including cultural resistance to even pre-monument protections and vulnerabilities not covered by the legislation he has referenced.
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“Myth” #5 according to Governor Herbert: National monument status is a boon for outdoor recreation.

The Governor’s response: Monument status can limit specific activities enjoyed by outdoor recreationists, such as mountain biking, certain types of rock climbing and motorized travel on back roads. Managing public lands for the full spectrum of outdoor recreation activities and tailoring them to the specific terrain is best done through land management plans that take input from local tribal leaders and local land managers who understand the unique nature of the area and its possible uses for responsible recreation.

Verdict: False/Misleading

While it is true that certain activities can be either restricted or prohibited, the main trouble with Governor Herbert’s argument is his suggestion that national monuments by default are some how more prohibitive of specific activities like “mountain biking, certain types of rock climbing or motorized travel on back roads” when these and other restrictions may or may not occur on monument or other federal lands.

National monuments are somewhat unique in that “they can be managed by any of seven different agencies – either individually or jointly”. When it comes to public lands; be it parks, monuments, forests, recreation or conservation areas, wilderness areas, rivers or refuges management agencies enact specific policies which vary from park to park, monument to monument, and so on.

Under management by the BLM and the Forest Service, none of the activities mentioned by Governor Herbert were prohibited within either Bears Ears or Grand Staircase Escalante National Monuments. The only activity prohibited by the monument designations was energy and mineral extraction.

The governor in fact provides some push back to his own claims, suggesting in his previous claim that a monument designation would “guarantee” increased “visitation”.
​
Finally the Governor states, “Managing public lands for the full spectrum of outdoor recreation activities and tailoring them to the specific terrain is best done through land management plans that take input from local tribal leaders and local land managers who understand the unique nature of the area and its possible uses for responsible recreation.” This is a somewhat puzzling argument to include since such a provision already existed within President Obama’s Bears Ears designation.

Tell us what you think. What does the future hold for Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante? Make sure to click here and read our latest article on what the new year means for Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante.
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National Monuments Need Your Voice

5/22/2017

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Yosemite, Yellowstone, The Grand Canyon, the redwoods: they rank as some of the world’s greatest natural treasures. Numbered among America’s crown jewels -- and cherished by people all over the world.
 
But there’s something else they all have in common – controversy.  Major controversy.
 
It’s hard to believe that there could be much that is controversial about The Grand Canyon, but even the grandest canyon on earth struggled to achieve its protected status. Efforts to protect the Grand Canyon stalled for decades before President Theodore Roosevelt was granted authority under the Antiquities Act to unilaterally set aside tracks of federal land as preserves and national monuments.
 
Finally, the story of the Grand Canyon had a happy ending – except it didn’t. The battle to preserve this wonder of the world would wage on for years, and years. The State of Arizona, and more specifically Senator Ralph Henry Cameron engaged the federal government in a bitter battle over the fate of the Grand Canyon that echoes in every debate over monuments and public land to this day. 
This drama has played out time and time again. The venue changes but the arguments remain the same, whether speaking of the The Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Yellowstone or any number of land preservations. And here we are yet again. The newest episode in this serial having begun on April 26, 2017.
 
President Donald Trump signed an Executive order calling for a “review” of dozens of national monuments. Stating before even signing the order that “[Now] we are going to free [the land] up.” Adding, that these designations “should never have happened.” Then going on to emphasize his special interest in Utah’s monuments.
 
When listening to Utah’s delegation to Washington discuss Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears national monuments they tell a sad story of down trodden citizens, of Washington’s disregard for local input, and abuses of power by past presidents.
 
It’s a simple story with simple villains, but reality is not at all that simple. 
If you travel to Utah and speak to residents you’ll find their feelings on the subject are not as singular as that of Utah’s representatives. Sure you’ll find plenty of individuals, who oppose the monument designations of the past 20 years and would like Trump to partially or wholly repeal monument status, but then again there are plenty who support the designations and then there’s everyone else in between.
 
Take Bears Ears - If you listen to Senators Hatch and Lee, or Representatives Chaffetz or Bishop you could be forgiven for thinking the people of Utah hold nothing but indignation for President Obama’s December 2016 designation.
 
Not true. In fact, at this point it’s hard to determine a clear majority either in support or opposition to Utah’s newest monument. The results of numerous polls illustrate a tight conflict of opinions. Some polls suggest a small majority oppose the monument others a small majority support it.
 
It seems the people of Utah are still making up their minds. Something their representatives continue to ignore.
​Ok, so what about Grand Staircase-Escalante then? Twenty years young and still as controversial as ever right? – Nope. After 20 years, a clear majority of Utahns support preserving Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, citing the areas unique beauty and the boost it’s given the state’s economy. Utah as a whole wants President Trump to leave Grand Staircase-Escalante alone. Again, an inconvenient truth Utah’s elected officials continue to ignore.
 
When President Bill Clinton took up his pen and created the nation’s largest national monument from the rim of The Grand Canyon it caught many in Utah by surprise. The response was not generally positive especially within a heavily Republican state without much affection for President Clinton.
 
Rural Utahns feared the monument would destroy their way of life, outlaw hunting, livestock grazing and some forms of recreation, but it didn’t. The monument would continue to be managed by the Bureau of Land Management and not the Park Service. A model which is being built upon for the new Bears Ears National Monument with additional oversight by the Forest Service and a tribes commission representing the interests of 5 local tribes.
 
Grazing is still permitted on more than 96% of the monument. Hunting continues as it did before the designation with permits issued by the state. OHV access continues on miles of primitive roads.
 
Then what did change you ask? Vandalism and destruction of historical artifacts now carry greater penalties, funding for management of the land has increased, and mining and energy extraction are prohibited.
​It’s that last point which frustrates Utah’s officials the most. The state decided long ago to make much of the state’s funding for public education dependent upon revenue generated from leases of state land sold to mining and energy companies.
 
Resource extraction is the only use currently prohibited within Utah’s monuments. While Utah’s politicians continue to claim preservation would be best accomplished by the state, Utah’s historical approach to land management is not very conservation oriented. Using Google earth and other modern maps of energy development on public lands it’s easy to see how Utah has chosen to manage state lands.
 
It’s the state’s lopsided focus on resource extraction and the continued misrepresentation by their elected officials that has forced many Utahns to appeal to Presidents and their delegated authority under the Antiquities Act to preserve vulnerable and unique landscapes and historical sites.
​
The threat to Utah’s public lands is perhaps illustrated best by an interview with Utah’s current Governor where he advocates for the “privatization” and “liquidation” of Utah’s  and the nation's public lands. Forgetting, that a liquidated asset is of no more use to the people.
 
Such is the climate of the public lands debate in Utah. There are legitimate concerns about the amount power granted to the president under the Antiquities Act and whether that power can or has been abused. But when you appreciate the fate of public lands controlled by the state of Utah you begin to appreciate the tempered presidential use of the Antiquities Act.
​Utah is very proud of its five national parks, Zion, Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands and Capital Reef, numbered among some of the countries greatest treasures, conveniently forgetting that four of their Mighty 5 parks, like most of America’s treasured national parks were originally set aside as national monuments via unilateral action under the Antiquities Act.
 
But isn’t congressional action the more ideal method for protecting America’s Wild Spaces? Absolutely! Utah’s Washington delegation in fact attempted over the past several years to present a congressional solution to preserving Bears Ears, but due to Utah’s insistence that the Antiquities Act be rendered null and void in Utah and that the federal government transfer large portions of federal land and roads to the state - the bill failed.
 
Again illustrating that when natural and historical treasures face imminent threat only unilateral action by the President is fast acting enough to grant protection to what might soon be lost.
 
How then do we keep Presidents from abusing this power? For that we have Congress, the nation’s high courts and most importantly the voice of the people. We are the ultimate check to the President’s power.
 
These lands belong to the people of the United States and again it’s time for the people to let the President know what we want to do with our federal lands.
 
The threats are real, and time is short. Public comment on the fate of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments will only be considered if submitted by May 26, 2017 and June 10, 2017 for all other monuments currently under review. For a list of all monuments affected by Trump’s April 26th executive order click here.
 
We began with the Grand Canyon and we’d love to tell you that the Grand Canyon came through unscathed, but it didn’t. Many visitor to the canyon have stumbled upon areas with signs posted warning, “Caution: Radiation Area. Keep Out”.
 
That’s right radiation – an unfortunate aftereffect of mining within the canyon more than 100 years ago, and possibly the result of modern uranium mining outside the national park boundaries.
 
The decisions we make today will have long lasting effects on our public lands and generations to come. Let your voice be heard. Click here to contact Secretary Zinke and click here to write to the office of the President and you elected officials.
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Back from the Brink

11/6/2015

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Picture
In 1985 only 9 California Condors remained in the wild. The last of which was captured on April 19, 1987 and entered into a captive breeding program with all that remained of the world's California Condors.

From twenty-two Individuals, a desperate last minute effort began to save one of the world's largest flying birds from total extinction, but it's been a difficult road. Condors only begin breeding when six years old, and each breeding pair will lay only a single egg every 1-2 years. Making recovery a very slow process.

In January 1992 the first captive bred condor was released in to the wild, and in 2003 the first wild born condor since 1982 left it's nest deep in the heart of the Grand Canyon. Today there are somewhere around 500 condors in North america, half of which live in the wild. Each and every one a descendent of the twenty-two birds captured in the 1980s.

​
But it's not all good news. Mortality rates among wild condors remain extremely high for many of the same reasons which led to their near extinction in the 20th century. Loss of habitat, diminished food sources, lead poisoning, trash ingestion and poaching continue to frustrate condor restoration efforts.

They remain one of the rarest animals in the world. So rare, that they are one of relatively few species where each and every individual is numbered, and tagged.

Against the odds condors have come back from the brink of extinction, but they are far from in the clear. Condors are still hugely dependent on captive breeding programs and continuing conservation efforts. But there is hope that with greater awareness and continuing efforts to preserve and restore these birds to what is left of their historic range, that condors may once again soar through our skies on their 10ft wings.

Condors remind us that it is possible to bring a species back from the brink. But it requires continual effort and dedication. We've been fortunate to see four wild condors in our Wild Spaces travels, and each time it has been a huge thrill.

​Check out the stunning footage we shot of these massive birds in Zion and Grand Canyon National Parks. And make sure to check out our store for our new Condor T-Shirts!
Condor T-shirts
References:
http://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/nature/condor-re-introduction.htm
http://www.fws.gov/uploadedFiles/Region_8/NWRS/Zone_1/Hopper_Mountain_Complex/Hopper_Mountain/Sections/News/News_Items/PDFs/_California%20Condor%20Five%20Year%20Review_2013%20Final%20Published.pdf
​http://www.defenders.org/california-condor/basic-facts
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