This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Utah's elected officials are scurrying to shrink or nullify Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears national monuments. I'm certainly not surprised by the misinformation and outright lies being fed to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and the Trump administration. They misrepresent the process of developing the Public Lands Initiative and trumpet "massive land grabs" and the economic depression of rural communities.
I grew up in rural Midwest communities and they are under the same pressures without nearby monuments. The common four homesteads per section are mostly gone and towns are shrinking as farms grow or become corporate. The plight of rural America is not due to monument delegation. While monuments affect local communities, it is not universally negative. Just as life changed for native people when the ranchers and miners came, life changes for rural communities today.
I recently camped in Bears Ears, an area I've visited many times. How many nights camping or miles hiking have all the talking heads enjoyed there? I respect local input as long as it is one of many voices. Secretary Zinke, don't be fooled by lobbyists and politicians. Seek a wide range of voices, including people who visit and love this land or hold it sacred.
Roger Edwards
West Jordan