I am writing about my opinion on the restoration of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase monuments. A Biden win allows us to once again have hope for the protection of these monuments and other Utah wilderness. I want to stress the importance of not becoming complacent now that Biden has been elected. We need to hold him accountable for his promises during his campaign, including restoring the original boundaries of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante. As a Utah resident, the protection of our wilderness and public lands is incredibly important to me, since public lands allow for recreation, exploration and connection to our environmental roots for humans, and essential places to live and grow for Utah’s incredible plant and animal population.
Currently, environmentalists are pushing for 30% of wilderness to be protected by 2030. The 30x30 initiative is one of our last chances to be able to combat climate change and environmental destruction. Here in Utah, we can help by calling on Biden and our local representatives to reprotecting Bears Ears and Grand Staircase and protect more of our wilderness that the Trump administration sold to oil companies for pennies.
Kyra Hauser, Salt Lake City