FFI is opposed to Executive Action to Reduce the Size of Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears National Monuments in Utah.
The FFI Policy on Public Lands and Waters of the United States advocates “for the essential protection of public lands and waters of the United States for their ecological, recreational and economic function and value.
It is our position that any proposal to change, transfer or liquidate ownership and or management responsibility of public lands has a significant likelihood to adversely affect the biological health, function and wellbeing of natural systems and the wildlife species they support.”
We join our colleagues at the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership in expressing our concern about the Administration’s decision to reduce the size of Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears National Monuments in Utah. We believe that the authority to modify National Monuments rests only with the U.S. Congress and we are concerned that this action creates an unacceptable precedent for future treatment of public lands that are used and supported by the fly fishing community.
Source: Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
Photo Credit: Bob Wick (BLM)
The 1.35 million-acre Bears Ears National Monument in southeastern Utah protects one of most significant cultural landscapes in the United States, with thousands of archaeological sites and important areas of spiritual significance. Abundant rock art, ancient cliff dwellings, ceremonial kivas, and countless other artifacts provide an extraordinary archaeological and cultural record, all surrounded by a dramatic backdrop of deep sandstone canyons, desert mesas, and forested highlands and the monument’s namesake twin buttes. These lands are sacred to many Native American tribes today, who use the lands for ceremonies, collecting medicinal and edible plants, and gathering materials for crafting baskets and footwear. Their recommendations will ensure management decisions reflect tribal expertise and traditional and historical knowledge.