Bears Ears and Windows

Any new information on this?

 

The Secretary of the Interior just visited the location to see if it is a needed thing.

It is highly possible the current administration could over turn Obama's ruling.

 

Interesting to see how this plays out. Planning a trip that will be going right through that area...

 

This thread needs a bump given recent news. Not that I know what that means given it came from the news...

@Dirty Pool any factual information on what's up and what it means for those of us that want to explore the area?

 

Didn't Utah vote for Trump? I just spent 2 weeks running the Southern Utah Traverse and judging by the mass amounts of tourists in the monuments, NP's and surrounding Podunk towns that's got to bring Alot of funds to those small towns... Hopefully Utah raises a stink. And the Natives sue his ass.
Hard in pin my singular favorite spot in Utah. But Bears Ears (Beef Basin) was extremely beautiful and the most desolate part of my trip. Not to mention Grand Staircase as being surreally gorgeous also.

Shrinking their boundaries so they can strip mine or god-knows what else- makes me very upset.

 

I also wanted to add that Utah and the feds seem to be pretty good stewards with the public land there, at least from what I experienced. Roads were repaired after a wash out. Also grated often.

Not like in California, where when a route becomes difficult to maintain they slap a "Wilderness Area" sign up and close the road.

 

I know this is a very political subject, but hopefully we can keep the discussion in line enough for TW given how it relates to how many of us use our vehicles. My concerns with the area have to do mostly with our ability to explore the areas via truck.

The only thing I will say, is that there is a hell of a lot in-between National Monument and strip-mine. It's not one or the other like certain purveyors of information seem to indicate. It's all accessible public land now, and not a giant strip mine.

 

Well if they sell to the highest bidder that would extremely limit travel. Because it'd then be private land. There aren't tons of roads back in there.
But that would be years from now if it ends up actually happening. It'll be wrapped up in courts for a while.

 

Removing the national monument designation and selling off public land are two very different things.

Seems like the lands will be managed as they have before by the BLM or Forest Service, just without the designation.

 

It's a shame. But public lands are under more pressure than ever before. Having grown up in an area surround by public land and now in an area with little by comparison. It sucks big time.

I don't see much in the way of stopping what is rumored to happen to the areas in Utah sadly.


Also it's worth noting that most mineral companies that mine or drill these days lease land. Not own it. Can even make for more road access after the fact. For instance Many oil field roads out in wyo are fair game. Logging roads all over as well.

Either way. Just going after something because Obama did it is silly. But so is everything going on there now..

 

On TW, in this thread, it is a civil discussion from the 4x4'ers perspective. At stake is access to special places. These places are being threatened. What this means is, for the first time in a long, long time, the off-roading community and the conservationist community and even the 2nd amendment guys are all going to have to figure out a way work together. This is a good thing, and gives me some hope. Because I am afraid that is what it'll take to keep from being overrun by business interests only wanting to profit from what is seen as under used resources ripe for plunder.

Jason, I think you guys need to take a long, hard look at that rule. That solutions doesn't fit the situation. This discussion is about the pain and fear we feel at the prospect of loosing access. For many of us, this the heart of what the TW community is about. It can't always be about the vehicle and upgrading. What is the point if we don't have the freedom to use our creations.

 

Agreed. QFT

 

@Digiratus couldn't agree more....

As of right now the Antiquities Act as well as the 1976 Federal Land Policy and Management Act ares still in effect therefore the reduction in Bears Ears and Grand Staircase cannot "officially" happen unless approved by congress. One sole person cannot change the rescind the designation of national monument. Read more about it on the link below.

http://time.com/5047904/bears-ears-grand-staircase-trump-shrinks/

Many activist groups including the Navajo, whom hold Bears Ears sacred, have vowed to and as of this morning have begun bringing legal recourse against this ridiculous proposition.

The statement "Public lands will once again be for public use" is what is being heralded. In reality, this would open these lands to private interest, development and lease / purchase. If anyone honestly believes a single person, family, tribe or group can compete with big corporate interest (eg. mining) you are delusional. This will ultimately lead to restriction of our access and ability to see many of the wonderful things the OP spoke of and posted pictures of.

We are already dealing with this in Superior, AZ (Just East of Phoenix). Mining operations have expanded and therefore limited if not completely restricted access to several areas in the Superstition Wilderness. This is no different.

 

So has anyone actually read what's being done to the stripped down areas? I've tried looking but all that pops up on Google is general articles about it without any specifics. If those areas are sold off as giant chunks to private entities then yes, back country travellers are going to lose access to a lot of places. If they are just removing protections and selling off small portions it might actually make more land easier to access via 4x4. I've been to different areas of GSENM probably a dozen times and it's always frustrating finding the road blocked off for a "Wilderness Study Area" or no explanation at all......or my personal favorite "Administrative Road" (what the fuck does that even mean?).

Don't get me wrong, I'd prefer nothing change. I don't mind parking at the end if a road and hiking a mile or 2 cross country to get to what I want to see, but this may not be the beginning of the end for these places.

I'm kind of hoping the whole thing gets locked in legal limbo until a new administration comes in, but 3 (optimistically) years is a long time.

 

Extremely well said! Thank you

 

Nailed it!

 

This is a great post, and indicative of the type of rational discussion that is possible here on TW. Thanks for contributing, Mike.

For a ‘local’ perspective, check out the Utah BS thread. Some very good points being made in there as well without resorting to political dick measuring for its own sake.

As a southern Utah native, it can be extremely frustrating to feel like your home is squarely in the middle of a rhetoric filled tug of war between warring extremes. Especially when, in my opinion, the vast majority of the locals and other concerned parties sit somewhere in the middle and only want to preserve the ability for themselves and their children to enjoy one of the most special places on the planet in a responsible and sustainable way.