Sen. Lee Pledges To Fight Obama’s San Juan County Land Grab
SALT LAKE CITY – Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) issued the following statement Wednesday after learning of President Obama’s decision to designate 1.35 million acres in southeast Utah as a national monument:
“This arrogant act by a lame duck president will not stand. I will work tirelessly with Congress and the incoming Trump administration to honor the will of the people of Utah and undo this designation.”
Watch local Navajo explain why they oppose the monument here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOpOT4ZnvkY&t=11s
Watch San Juan County Commissioner, Rebecca Benally explain why she opposes the monument here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bwqYj6-PTE&feature=youtu.be
Recent polling on Bears Ears here:
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Gov. Herbert statement on designation of Bears Ears National Monument
SALT LAKE CITY (Dec. 28, 2016) – Gov. Gary R. Herbert issued the following statement on President Barack Obama’s national monument designation:
I am more than disappointed by President Obama’s decision today to designate a Bears Ears National Monument in southeastern Utah. I am deeply disturbed by what has resulted from a troubling process. By unilaterally locking up 1.35 million acres -- an area roughly the size of the entire State of Delaware -- the president has misused his authority under the Antiquities Act and violated assurances made by his Interior Secretary to take into account local concerns before making a monument designation.
This decision ignores the will of the majority of Utahns. It disregards the desire of Native American groups who count these lands as their heritage to co-manage this culturally important area. It overlooks the unanimous opposition of Utah’s statewide elected officials and Utah’s entire congressional delegation. It runs roughshod over a resolution from Utah’s legislature opposing such action. Today’s designation demonstrates how overreach from the federal government often disregards the well-being and interests of rural Americans.
This action will have long-term impacts on Utah and our public lands. Proper stewardship of public lands in the West requires an appreciation and understanding of our varied and unique terrain. Utahns know from sad experience how such unilateral and politically motivated monument designations can create division, distrust and conflict. Collaborative legislation, although more time-intensive, is the only durable solution to these complex issues.
As outraged as many people are with today’s decision, we know how to challenge this action appropriately through the many administrative, legal and legislative avenues available to us. We will aggressively pursue these options.
All who have looked at this issue know that the Bears Ears area deserves greater protection than what the current Bureau of Land Management has chosen to provide. I am concerned that the wrong process has produced a result that could backfire because it is not in the best interest of the Native Americans and the local population who have reasonable expectations of responsible access and use. I promise to work tirelessly with the incoming administration, Utah’s congressional delegation, our attorney general, the Utah legislature, and San Juan County officials to find the appropriate resolution to this important and complex issue.
President Obama has shown little regard for the input of every elected official in Utah who represents this area. I am hopeful that this unfortunate decision made in the final weeks of an outgoing president will be dramatically improved in the first weeks of our incoming president.
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UTAH SENATE MAJORITY LEADERSHIP STATEMENT ON BEARS EARS NATIONAL MONUMENT DESIGNATION
SALT LAKE CITY – Today, Utah State Senate Majority Leadership made the following statement, denouncing the designation of the Bears Ears National Monument:
“Today, we stand with the people of San Juan County and condemn President Obama’s ‘midnight monument’ designation in southern Utah. Despite the recent election that was a clear referendum on his misuse of power, this president continues to arrogantly abuse the executive authority. With a stroke of his pen in Washington D.C., President Obama ignored the voices of the people of San Juan County and every elected official chosen to represent the Bears Ears area.”
“We will support every effort to reverse this devastating unilateral action and implement polices to locally protect the sacred Bears Ears area without hurting the hard-working citizens of rural Utah.”
The incoming Utah Senate Majority Leadership team includes Senate President Wayne Niederhauser, Majority Leader Ralph Okerlund, Majority Whip Stuart Adams, Assistant Majority Whip Peter Knudson, Rules Chair Diedre Henderson, Executive Appropriations Chair Jerry Stevenson, and Executive Appropriations Vice Chair Kevin Van Tassell.
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DENVER—In response to reports that President Obama has declared two new national monuments in Utah and Nevada, the Center for Western Priorities released the following statement from Executive Director Jennifer Rokala:
“By protecting Bears Ears and Gold Butte, President Obama has secured his legacy as one of America’s great conservation presidents. These spectacular landscapes, with their archaeological sites threatened by looting and vandalism, are in dire need of protection.
“President Obama’s use of the Antiquities Act confirms why it is just as important today as it was when Teddy Roosevelt signed the act into law 110 years ago—when a dysfunctional Congress fails to do its job, the president must have the authority to protect America’s natural and cultural treasures for future generations.”
Plans to protect Bears Ears have been in the works for 80 years, dating back to the proposed Escalante National Monument in 1936. Utah’s congressional delegation, led by House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Rob Bishop, chose not to pass the long-promised Public Lands Initiative this session, leaving a national monument designation as the only remaining option for protecting Bears Ears.
Gold Butte contains ancient petroglyphs, caves, and archaeological sites important to the Paiute and Moapa tribes. The region also includes Spanish and pioneer sites from the 1700s. In recent years, illegal activities, including grazing and irrigation, have caused major damage to the landscape and cultural sites.
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CONTACT: Senator Jim Dabakis
jim.dabakis@gmail.com
801-815-3533
Senator Jim Dabakis, an ardent admirer of a Bears Ears declaration, released the following:
Thank you President Obama for protecting Bears Ears for untold future generations. Thank you Native Americans. This is your land and your victory!
Before the deafening outcry from Utah GOP spin, remember, Rob Bishop had every opportunity to make a great deal for Utah with the Administration with the PLI (public land initiative) sadly he chose the ugly political path. Obama was ready to deal, but the hostile GOP chose defiance in response to President Obama's outstretched hand. Don't like Bears Ears blame Utah's GOP leadership. Like Bears Ears? Thank tone deaf Rep Rob Bishop.
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Bishop: We Will Fight to Right this Wrong
WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama has used the Antiquities Act of 1906 to create the Bears Ears National Monument. Rep. Rob Bishop (UT-01) released the following video statement after the announcement:
Bishop added: “The announcement perpetuates two egregious lies. The first being that the size of the monument parallels the Public Lands Initiate. That is not true. The administration is grasping at arguments to justify a lame duck administration’s efforts to do things contrary to the will of the people who live in San Juan County. The second lie is in the creation of a faux commission to give management authority to Native Americans. This is a diversion. The Utah delegation wants to give management authority to Native Americans; the administration can’t. Only Congress can legally do so. This administration over promised, failed to deliver, and is now trying to hide its ineptitude.”
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Friends of Cedar Mesa urges all who care for Bears Ears landscape to find common ground in stewardship
***Photos of Bears Ears region for use in media coverage can be found here. Please credit Josh Ewing. A video timelapse is available here.***
Bluff, UT – Many local residents in San Juan County and across the Four Corners, as well as the overwhelming majority of archaeologists, welcome today’s news that President Obama has designated a Bears Ears National Monument in southeastern Utah. The President’s action protects tens of thousands of archaeological sites – exactly the “objects” the Antiquities Act was created to protect – that make the public lands near Bluff so unique. In fact, the Bears Ears Monument contains more cultural sites than any other National Monument or National Park in the United States.
Friends of Cedar Mesa (FCM) always favored a legislative solution that would have provided a less contentious route to recognizing the almost unanimous local support for protecting the Bears Ears area. However, after the Public Lands Initiative legislation was introduced in Congress with many “poison pills” that would have reduced existing protections for Cedar Mesa and the archaeology of San Juan County, FCM recognized that the only practical way to protect this landscape in the foreseeable future was a National Monument designation.
“Four of Utah’s ‘Mighty 5’ National Parks were first protected as National Monuments via presidential action – despite some vocal local opposition at the time they were designated,” said Josh Ewing, FCM’s Executive Director. “There’s no place more deserving or needing of protection than the Bears Ears. This landscape surely would have been protected many years ago if it were located anywhere but Utah. We hope time and cooler minds will prevail as we find common ground in working together to steward this place and preserve it as close as possible to what it is like today.”
The Bluff community had vocally supported the Monument in the months leading up to the designation, providing “neutral ground” for the large and peaceful public meeting hosted by Department of Interior Secretary Sally Jewell in July. Elected leaders and Business Owners of Bluff wrote the Secretary to document their support for the monument in October.
Likewise, the archaeological community has long been a vocal advocate for the Bears Ears landscape, dating back 115 years to when archaeologist T. Mitchel Prudden called for protection of southeastern Utah’s antiquities. More recently, groups representing almost every archaeologist in America voiced their support for presidential action to declare a National Monument proposed by the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition.
The following are reactions from Bluff business leaders and respected archaeologists
"Our new Bears Ears National Monument is unquestionably deserving of protection, and I am grateful President Obama looked beyond congressional gridlock to preserve this internationally significant landscape. With more archaeological sites than Utah’s Mighty 5 Parks combined, Bears Ears is exactly the kind of place the Antiquities Act was designed to protect. Now the question is this: Will we all work together to steward this remarkable place or will political infighting result in continued neglect and lack of management while visitation levels increase and fragile cultural resources remain vulnerable."
- Vaughn Hadenfeldt, owner of Far Out Expeditions & FCM Board Chair
“As an individual born and raised in southern San Juan County and someone who has chosen to raise my family and establish businesses here, I long ago recognized the need to adequately and appropriately safeguard the cultural resources and natural beauty of my home. Having watched this debate rage over the last four decades, I am convinced a Bears Ears National Monument designation is the best vehicle for protecting the land and enhancing our local economy. Every year people from around the globe visit San Juan County to enjoy its scenic landscape and diverse cultures, I believe this monument will preserve and strengthen those resources for us all.”
- Steve Simpson, Owner of Twin Rocks Cafe and Trading Post in Bluff, UT
"The Business Owners of Bluff applauds the protection of public lands in southeastern Utah as the new Bears Ears National Monument. Bluff has long served as the gateway for responsible visitation to this world-class landscape, and we're excited and proud to become the official 'Gateway to Bears Ears.'"
- Jen Davilla, Chairwoman for Business Owners of Bluff & owner of La Posada Pintada
“Archaeologists recognized the remarkable sites of the Bears Ears area in the 1890s and in the early 1900s, protested the rampant looting there, helping to pave the way for the 1906 Antiquities Act. It is fitting that the President has now used this act to establish the Bears Ears National Monument. Its archaeological, cultural, scientific, and geological resources make it truly a national treasure. I hope monument status will deliver the increased protection this area has long deserved.”
- William Lipe, Professor Emeritus, Archaeology, Washington State University and Former President of the Society for American Archaeology
“We celebrate the president’s designation of Bears Ears National Monument under the authority of the Antiquities Act of 1906, which was established to protect places of national cultural significance. Bears Ears far exceeds that standard - the region’s well-preserved archaeological sites and cultural landscapes have limitless scientific value, of course, but they also tell essential stories about being human that are meaningful to all people. With this proclamation, President Obama profoundly conveys our shared respect for the lives of those who came before, their descendants, and ourselves as Americans.”
- Bill Doelle, Archaeology Southwest Executive Director
“The Bears Ears National Monument is home to the highest density of exceptionally preserved archaeological sites anywhere in America. They include structures, rock art panels, and artifacts left behind by a variety of cultures including Pueblo, Navajo, and Ute peoples. It was also one of the last areas of the United States settled by people of European ancestry, and their sites are present as well. These irreplaceable treasures were threatened with destruction, but the designation of the Bears Ears National Monument ensures their protection for all Americans and for people from throughout the world in perpetuity.”
- Mark Varien, Executive VP, Crow Canyon Archaeological Center
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About Friends of Cedar Mesa – Based in Bluff, Utah, Friends of Cedar Mesa works to ensure that the public lands in San Juan County, with all their cultural and natural values, are respected and protected. To learn more about FCM’s policy, stewardship & monitoring, education and research work, visit www.friendsofcedarmesa.org.
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Treasurer Damschen Condemns President Obama’s Bears Ears National Monument Designation
SALT LAKE CITY – December 28, 2016 – Utah State Treasurer David Damschen issued the following statement in response to President Barack Obama’s designation of the 1.35 million acre Bears Ears national monument:
“I am appalled by President Obama’s decision today to designate a Bears Ears National Monument in southeastern Utah – a decision that blatantly ignores the will of the majority of Utahns and the input of every elected official in Utah who represents the area affected by the designation.
“The president has clearly misused his authority under the Antiquities Act, and in so doing has jeopardized the well-being of many Utahns with vested interests in the affected region.
“As chair of the Utah School and Institutional Trust Fund board of trustees, I am deeply concerned about the damaging impact this designation will have on lands held in trust for Utah public schools – an estimated 100,000 acres of school trust lands are contained within the designated monument, and the designation could have a disastrous impact on the endowment managed by the state for the benefit of its public school system. Approximately 64 percent of our state is federal public land, while only six percent is administered within the school trust. By his actions, the president is showing reckless disregard for Utah’s public education system and its funding.
“Further, as chair of the Utah Navajo Trust Fund, I am surprised at the disregard the president is showing for Native American groups - Utah Navajos in particular - who count these lands as their heritage.
“As frustrated as I might be with today’s decision, I am confident that our state’s efforts to challenge this action appropriately through the many administrative, legal and legislative avenues available to us will yield positive results.
“I will work with the incoming administration, Utah’s congressional delegation, tribal leaders, our governor, our attorney general, the Utah legislature, and San Juan County officials to find the appropriate resolution to this important and complex issue.”
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Secretaries Jewell, Vilsack Applaud President’s Designation of New National Monuments in Utah and Nevada
President’s Action Follows Decades-Long Campaigns by Members of Congress, Tribes, Local Conservationists to Protect Areas of Extraordinary Cultural Importance and Natural Beauty
WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack today joined tribes, members of Congress, state and local officials, and local business and community leaders in applauding the President’s designation of the Bears Ears National Monument in southeastern Utah and the Gold Butte National Monument in southeastern Nevada. Representing the best of America’s natural wonders, today’s designations complete what tribes, members of Congress, state and local officials, and local business and community leaders have sought for decades, but Congress failed to take action.
The new monuments protect approximately 1.64 million acres of existing federal land in two spectacular western landscapes – 1.35 million acres in Utah and nearly 300,000 acres in Nevada. Both areas contain land sacred to Native American tribes, important cultural sites, and fragile wildlife habitat. The monument designations maintain currently authorized uses of the land that do not harm the resources protected by the monument, including tribal access and traditional collection of plants and firewood, off-highway vehicle recreation, hunting and fishing and authorized grazing. The monument designation also does not affect valid existing rights for oil, gas, and mining operations, military training operations, and utility corridors.
“The rock art, ancient dwellings, and ceremonial sites concealed within these breathtaking landscapes help tell the story of people who have stewarded these lands for hundreds of generations,” said Secretary Jewell. “Today’s action builds on an extraordinary effort from tribes, local communities, and members of Congress to ensure that these treasures are protected for generations to come, so that tribes may continue to use and care for these lands, and all may have an opportunity to enjoy their beauty and learn from their rich cultural history.”
“Utahns of all creeds are rightfully proud of the spectacular Bears Ears landscape, treasuring the opportunity to recreate, hunt, ranch and engage in their traditional cultural and spiritual practices. Rather than closing off opportunities to continue those uses, today’s announcement is a recognition that those activities can continue, and the natural and cultural resources the communities prize are worthy of permanent protection to be shared with all Americans,” said Secretary Vilsack. “As we move forward with planning for monument implementation, the deep knowledge of the tribal community as well as ranchers, recreationists, archeologists and local community citizens will be heard.”
The 1.35 million-acre Bears Ears National Monument protects one of the richest cultural landscapes in the United States, with thousands of archaeological sites and areas of spiritual significance. These lands are sacred to many Native American tribes today who use them for ceremonies, collecting medicinal and edible plants, and gathering materials for crafting baskets and footwear. To ensure that management decisions affecting the monument reflect tribal expertise and traditional and historical knowledge, the Presidential proclamation establishes a Bears Ears Commission, comprised of tribal representatives, to provide guidance and recommendations on management of the monument.
Congressmen Rob Bishop and Jason Chaffetz’s Utah Public Lands Initiative (H.R. 5780) proposed to conserve 1.39 million acres (1.28 million Federal acres) in mostly the same area as the Bears Ears National Monument by designating two new National Conservation Areas and a Wilderness, which would prohibit future mining and oil and gas activities in these areas. Their legislation also proposed a Tribal Commission to help inform management of the area and created additional opportunities for interested stakeholders to offer input, similar to what today’s action has established. These designations build on the framework developed by the Congressmen to both protect and allow for continued use and enjoyment of the area by residents and visitors.
“President Obama has been consistent in his commitment to work with Tribal governments, and this historic designation builds on his legacy,” said Navajo Nation President Russell Begaye. “We are particularly pleased that the designation affirms tribal sovereignty and provides a collaborative role for Tribes to work with the federal government in maintaining the land. Because Tribes will help manage this land, it reaffirms President Obama’s fundamental commitment to human rights and equity in voice. Furthermore, while the land will be protected, our local Utah-based tribal members will continue to have access to the land for gathering ceremonial herbs. The land has always been a place of sacredness and fortitude for our people. Now it will be preserved for all future generations."
Begaye further said, “We appreciate the great effort and everyone involved, including the Utah Congressional delegation who worked very hard on a parallel proposal. It is heartening to know our friends from the Utah delegation care deeply about conserving this irreplaceable land. We look forward to working with them and all our elected representatives in Congress on our constituents' shared priorities.”
Abundant rock art, ancient cliff dwellings, ceremonial kivas, and countless other artifacts provide an extraordinary archaeological and cultural record surrounded by a dramatic backdrop of deep sandstone canyons, desert mesas, and forested highlands and the monument’s namesake twin buttes. For these reasons, the Bears Ears area has been proposed for protection by members of Congress, Secretaries of the Interior, state and tribal leaders, and local conservationists for at least 80 years. Native American tribes whose ancestral lands include the Bears Ears area advocated for permanent protection, led by the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition made up of the Hopi Nation, Navajo Nation, Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah Ouray, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, and Zuni Tribe. Numerous tribes with ties to the region, including the above tribes, have passed resolutions and sent letters in support of a national monument designation.
The area’s tradition of ranching, which dates back to the late 1800s, will continue. Grazing permits and leases will continue to be issued by the BLM and the USFS.
In July, Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, Agriculture Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment Robert Bonnie, and other senior Administration officials visited Bears Ears along with staff from Governor Herbert’s office and Utah Congressional delegation staff, and attended a public meeting where the majority of an overflow crowd encouraged permanent protection for this iconic landscape. Input from individuals and groups who raised concerns at the meeting were also considered in the terms outlined in the proclamation. Other national monument supporters include elected officials in Utah, national and local conservation groups, archaeologists, and faith-based organizations. Recreationists strongly support the monument, which will protect the area’s world-class rock climbing, hunting, backpacking, whitewater rafting, mountain biking, and off-highway vehicle recreation – activities that will continue to be a source of economic growth for southeastern Utah.
The proclamation also directs the Secretary of the Interior to explore within 30 days a land exchange with the State of Utah, which would transfer Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration land within the Bears Ears boundary in exchange for Bureau of Land Management land outside of the boundary. The Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service (USFS) will jointly manage Bears Ears National Monument. In doing so, both agencies will jointly prepare a management plan developed with maximum public involvement, including tribal, local and State governments, permit holders, other stakeholders and other federal land management agencies in the local area, including the National Park Service.
“The Bears Ears National Monument is an incredible resource for the people of Utah,” said U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell. “The Forest Service is honored to work with the local communities and tribes to manage these lands for the public's enjoyment and preserving them for future generations.”
A map of Bears Ears National Monument can be found here.
A fact sheet on Bears Ears National Monument can be found here.
The Gold Butte National Monument protects nearly 300,000 acres of remote and rugged desert landscape, where dramatically chiseled red sandstone, twisting canyons, and tree-clad mountains punctuate desolate stretches of the Mojave Desert. The brightly hued sandstone provides a stunning canvas for the area’s famously beautiful rock art, and the desert provides critical habitat for the threatened Mojave Desert tortoise. Evidence of indigenous communities’ remarkable ability to survive in arid conditions here abounds, from ancient rock shelters and hearth remains to agave roasting pits and projectile points.
Today, Gold Butte remains culturally and spiritually important to the Southern Paiute people, particularly the Moapa Band of Paiute Indians, who collect water from the mountain springs, gather traditional sources of paint, harvest pinyon pine nuts and other resources, and access ceremonial sites. The area is popular for outdoor recreation, and visitors to the monument can hike to rock art sites, drive the Gold Butte Backcountry Byway to the area’s namesake mining ghost town, hunt desert bighorn sheep, or tour the area’s peaks and canyons on horseback.
This presidential designation is the result of Senator Harry Reid’s strong leadership along with Representative Dina Titus, as well as support from the Moapa Band of Paiutes and Las Vegas Paiute Tribe. In 2015, Deputy Secretary of the Interior Michael Connor and BLM Director Neil Kornze attended a public meeting hosted by Senator Reid and Representative Titus to hear from the public about protection and conservation of Gold Butte and other areas in southern Nevada. Supporters of protecting the area include local elected officials and governments, area businesses, hunters, anglers, recreationists, and local land trusts and conservation groups.
Livestock grazing has not been permitted in the Gold Butte area since 1998, in support of Clark County’s Habitat Conservation Plan to conserve critical Mojave Desert tortoise habitat.
The Monument will be managed by the Bureau of Land Management.
Both the Gold Butte National Monument and the Bears Ears National Monument are comprised exclusively of existing federal lands, and their designations honor valid existing rights. The plans will be developed in an open process with maximum public involvement, building upon the provisions outlined in the proclamations. Both proclamations also establish a local advisory council made up of a diverse array of interested stakeholders including state and local governments, tribes, recreational users, local business owners, and private landowners.
“These monuments will preserve sacred lands and ancient treasures that hold deep meaning for us all, illuminating the history of some of the earliest civilizations on this continent,” said Bureau of Land Management director Neil Kornze. “Local collaboration is key to the successful management of these incredible landscapes, and the BLM is committed to continuing and expanding our work with community partners.”
The BLM and USFS staff will schedule informal open houses on Bears Ears National Monument in January to answer questions from permittees and other interested stakeholders, and as part of the formal management planning process will announce public sessions later this winter and spring. Details of these listening sessions, including dates and locations, will be shared with local newspapers and posted to the monuments’ websites. The BLM will also hold public meetings on Gold Butte National Monument. Planning for both monuments will be done with full public involvement, with special emphasis on understanding the ideas and concerns of the local communities.
The Antiquities Act has been used by 16 presidents starting with President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906 and used to protect treasures such as the Grand Canyon, the Statue of Liberty, and Colorado’s Canyons of the Ancients. Altogether, President Obama has protected more than 550 million acres of public lands and waters – more than any other President – and has preserved sites that help tell the story of significant people and extraordinary events in American history.
A map of the Gold Butte National Monument can be found here.
A fact sheet and Questions and Answers on Gold Butte National Monument can be found here.
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December 28 ,2016 For Immediate Release Contact: Tim Donaldson, School Children’s Trust Director, 801-706-3925 David Ure, School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration Director, 801-538-5101 Utah Leaders Ask President to Address 109,106 Acres of Trust Land Inholdings Captured Within New Monument
SALT LAKE CITY – Utah’s new Bears Ears National Monument captures more than 100,000 acres of non
public land held in trust for public schools, and state leaders are asking President Barack Obama to
promptly address the issue by making Utah’s school children whole through an exchange of comparable
lands.
“Monument designations inevitably capture hundreds of thousands of acres of school trust lands,
rendering them undevelopable instead of providing revenue to directly support K-12 education as
Congress intended,” said Tim Donaldson, School Children's Trust Director for the Utah State Board of
Education, which is charged with oversight of the state's efforts to generate revenue from school lands.
One year ago, the Utah State Board of Education passed a resolution regarding federal and school trust
land policy, clarifying the need to adequately compensate Utah’s public schools in the event of a
national monument designation. "If conservation designations are made, they must be done in a way
that holds schools harmless financially,” said outgoing Utah State Board of Education member and new
State Representative Jefferson Moss. "This may mean identifying lands of comparable value up front
and providing for the costs of a land exchange.”
The Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration (SITLA), which manages the state’s trust
land portfolio, reports more than 109,000 acres of trust lands are now captured within monument
boundaries.
"Approximately 64 percent of our state is federal public land, while only six percent is trust land,” said
SITLA Director David Ure. "Our president and our government must provide just and fair compensation
to Utah’s education system for lands captured within this monument designation.”
Over the past 20 years, SITLA has generated $1.7 billion in revenue from Utah’s trust lands, helping to
grow Utah’s Permanent School Fund to more than $2.1 billion. Interest and dividends from this Fund
have provided $320 million to Utah schools over that same period.
President Bill Clinton's unilateral action creating the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in
1996 led to a $50 million payment to the Permanent School Fund and a significant land exchange to
protect Utah’s education endowment.
Upon statehood, the federal government granted trust lands and created permanent endowments to
support state institutions, including public schools, and state hospitals and colleges.
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Thank you to all who worked tirelessly the past few years to protect this sacred place. Thank you, writers and artists, activists and community organizers, who shared your stories with Torrey House Press. Words matter.
As 2016 draws to a close, Torrey House Press Publisher Kirsten Allen reflects on the past year and looks forward to THP projects in 2017. Kirsten finds hope and inspiration in the words of Simon Ortiz, a contributor to Red Rock Testimony:
You don't like to think
the fall into a bottomless despair
is too near and too easy and meaningless.
You don't want that silence to grow
deeper and deeper into you
because that growth inward stunts you,
and that is no way to continue,
and you want to continue.
And so you tell stories.
Donate $75 to Torrey House Press and receive a copy of the beautiful art-as-advocacy chapbook Red Rock Testimony, one of the many things that inspired the Obama administration to protect Bears Ears. In addition, you can pre-order Edge of Morning, an anthology of Native voices for the Bears Ears.
"readers are along for the ride as Charlotte gets to know the complex, surprising people surrounding her—and the true meaning of that lucky scar on her father’s face. VERDICT Think Carl Hiaasen’s Hoot meets Jerry Spinelli’s Stargirl. Recommended for purchase for most school and public libraries."
—CARLY WIGGINS SEARCY, School Library Journal
"The Luckiest Scar on Earth is a thoughtful novel that centers around the maturation of both a girl and her family, and which intimates that sometimes the most difficult periods can also be the most beautiful."
—SPHANIE BUCKLIN, Foreword Reviews
"Sojourner (29, 2014, etc.) uses passion, high-energy storytelling, and unflinching empathy to break the reader’s heart."
"Long ago farming families would leave a candle in a window at night so that a wayward soul wandering in the dark could find a way to comfort. This best describes Mary Sojourners’ tales of small lives struggling for connection...They are, like their creator, sojourners. In every case Mary Sojourner brings candlelight to their struggles."
—H. LEE BARNES, author of The Gambler's Apprentice
