A sizable crowd is expected for Saturday’s public meeting with Interior Secretary Sally Jewell in Bluff, Utah.
The meeting is to allow Jewell to hear local voices regarding management of the Bears Ears area in southern Utah. An inter-tribal coalition has called for nearly 2 million acres of the artifact-rich, scenic landscape to be designated a national monument. However, Utah legislators and the San Juan County commissioners oppose that idea. They support legislation, developed through the grassroots Public Lands Initiative, that is expected to be introduced in Congress any day. The PLI bill would designate a much-smaller portion of Bears Ears, about 900,000 acres, as a national conservation area. The Salt Lake Tribune reports that Utah Congressman Rob Bishop hopes to fast-track the bill to bring it before the House by the end of September. Supporters say the legislation reflects local sentiments, but critics say it doesn’t offer enough protection and that tribal input was largely ignored. Visits by the Interior Secretary often precede a presidential monument proclamation. Then-Secretary Bruce Babbitt visited Montezuma County several times before Bill Clinton created Canyons of the Ancients National Monument in 2000, and Jewell has visited many areas that later became monuments under President Obama. However, her spokesperson tells the Tribune this visit does not indicate an imminent monument announcement.
