This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated.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.
Among the protests about the new Bears Ears National Monument, one rancher, whose cattle grazes in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, complained that their grazing units have been cut back, blaming it on monument status. On Jan. 13, I heard a Sutherland Institute spokesperson use this as a reason to retract the Bears Ears designation.
My understanding is that southern Utah has been in a drought for at least the past five years, and maybe 10. In those conditions, I'd expect the BLM to cut back on grazing units, in order to protect the land. After all, they are protecting the land for all its owners, including me.
We should be careful about blaming a result on a cause when more likely causes are evident.
Jan Miller
Salt Lake City