THE WAR ON PUBLIC LANDS: Bears Ears Will Fricker

Bears Ears Bears Ears

by Will Fricker

WRIT 1122: Rhetoric & Academic Writing | Professor Megan Kelly

ALTHOUGH BEARS EARS NATIONAL MONUMENT WAS only established in 2016, its history runs far deeper for the indigenous tribes that reside there. The Hopi and Zuni tribes can trace their origin in the area to at least 2,500 years ago, when the Ancestral Puebloans, their ancestors, began settling there. Since then, these tribes and others, including the Navajo, consider the land sacred, using it for worship, crafting intricate petroglyphs, and creating traditional Navajo hogans. As a result, over 100,000 Native American archaeological and cultural sites can be found in Bears Ears (“Native American”).

Not only has Bears Ears provided value too great to count for these Native Americans, but it has also created a great deal of value in the monetary sense. More recently, Bears Ears National Monument has been a major contributor to the local economy, providing over $1 billion in ecosystem service benefits yearly and hosting over 91,000 people per year for its multitude of outdoor recreation activities, such as hiking, rock climbing, and rafting (Philbrick). Clearly, this land is extremely sacred, beautiful, and beneficial to the Native Americans and outdoor recreators across the country; thus, it deserves protection through national monument status. However, in a devastating move, President Trump ordered an 85% reduction in the size of the national monument on December 4, 2017, opening it up for oil drilling and

In a devastating move, President Trump ordered an

85% reduction in the size of the national monument

on December 4, 2017, opening it up for oil drilling and

removing previous protections on its fragile environment.

removing previous protections on its fragile environment.

The consequences of Trump’s reduction of Bears Ears are numerous and catastrophic to those that hold the land sacred. With visitors to the area increasing every year and a lack of infrastructure to support those visitors, such as visitor centers and park rangers, both the land itself and the thousands of sacred Native American artifacts and sites are suffering. The rate of increase in visitation to the area is truly astounding: it “tripled between 2005 and 2015, doubled again in 2016, and doubled yet again in the first half of 2017” (Nordhaus, “What Trump’s”). With this massive increase in visitation has come damage such as campers using ancient Navajo hogans for firewood and vandalism to precious petroglyphs. As visitation to the area continually increases, and the area no longer has the protection of a national monument, the damage will only accelerate.

Another consequence of 85% of Bears Ears no longer being considered a national monument is that the area is now open to oil drilling, which would both disrupt the area’s beauty, with massive oil rigs obstructing pristine views, and lead to significant carbon emissions. Possibility for oil drilling played a key role in the decision to reduce Bears Ears, with multiple studies done by the Department of the Interior to determine the economic prosperity of oil drilling in the area (Lipton). Therefore, the likelihood of oil drilling in the near future is quite high. Additionally, loss of national monument status means loss of habitat protections for endangered species living in the area, such as the California Condor, the Mexican spotted owl, and the greenback cutthroat trout. These species require limited human interaction and careful protection to survive; thus, they are in severe risk without these protections. Compared to other national parks, including Yosemite, Yellowstone, and Rocky Mountain, Bears Ears placed in the top 10% of ecological connectivity and the top 4% for night sky darkness (Rowland-Shea). As a result, Bears Ears is one of the most biodiverse and pristine public lands in the country, and it is imminent that the area receives its national monument status in full.

The beauty and deep history of Bears Ears have allowed it to become a place of healing and sacredness for multitudes of people, Native and not alike. Jim Enote, a member of the Zuni tribe that once resided in Bears Ears, has strong connections to the area. Enote emphasizes these connections: “The people that lived there and built the structures there and carved on the cliffs there, that created

© John Fowler / Flickr.com /photos/snowpeak

the ceramics and the baskets and other things that we see there—the blood of those people is in my veins.” In an interview with National Geographic, Enote describes the rich history of the area, from the Ancestral Puebloans to today, when the Zunis make pilgrimages back to the area to see and feel that history that shaped them and is in their veins. Enote goes on to say, “The Bears Ears monument is a treasury of time-tested Native American experience. People can learn from that place. It is a library. It is an archive. It is a museum” (Nordhaus, “What the Bears”). He proudly proclaims Bears Ears as a place of Native American land and experience, a truly brave statement in the face of heavy contention and adversity. Long before this land could even be considered a national monument, Enote’s ancestors lived in peace and harmony with it. Since then, Americans have stolen their land, destroyed their artifacts, and now even taken away a small success by removing the national monument status.

Additionally, Morgan Sjogren, a non-Native trailrunner, practiced the Navajo tradition of running towards the sunrise in Bears Ears on her journey of personal healing soon after a divorce. The Navajo would make this run every morning to visit the spirits that would watch over them and thank them for all the gifts they have received. Sjogren chronicles her experience: “I wanted to focus on this ritual for personal healing during a challenging chapter in my life—and out of the desire to do something, anything, to help raise awareness and protect public lands for the native people, the plants, and the animals that inhabit them and all who are drawn here to recreate.” Sjogren’s experience in Bears Ears exemplifies how we should be interacting with this land, with respect and honor to the Native Americans that were there before us, but unfortunately that is not the case.

Perhaps the most significant consequence of Trump’s shrinking of Bears Ears is the potential for the loss of other public lands. The shrinking of Bears Ears was a result of a review of all national monuments across the country carried out by former Interior Secretary, Ryan Zinke, which in

Zuni Houses © Lewis H. Morgan – Internet Archive, Public Domain https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=33033781 /

Long before this land could even be considered a

national monument, Enote’s ancestors lived in peace

and harmony with it. Since then, Americans have

stolen their land, destroyed their artifacts, and now

even taken away a small success by removing the

national monument status.

cluded the recommendation to shrink Bears Ears and at least five other national monuments. At the same time that Bears Ears was shrunk, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument was cut nearly in half. Both of these reductions in size represent the largest reduction in size of public land in American history and set a precedent, opening up the possibility of more public lands to be reduced in size (Lipton).

Public lands provide beauty and enjoyment to millions of visitors every year and generate billions of dollars of revenue and to lose them would be ut

Images provided by author

terly devastating. Yet, reducing more public lands would not be a surprising move by Trump, considering other actions he has taken in his war against public lands. Trump passed a bill to allow drilling in the sacred and precious Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, renewed mining leases in Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area, and opened up land next to the Grand Canyon for uranium mining; these are just a few of the actions Trump has taken in his brutal siege of public lands (Greenberg). If Trump is not elected out of office in 2020, this attack will only continue, and the fate of public lands will only become more hopeless.

With the uncertain fate of our public lands, we, as American citizens, must act now to defend them. While more and more people are voting with each election, political complacency is still a significant threat in the fight to save our public lands, with only about 47% of the voting-eligible population showing up to the polls in the 2018 midterm elections (Domonoske). Fortunately, this is an easy fix: vote! If you are worried about losing our treasured national parks and monuments, vote for politicians and ballot proposals promising to protect these lands and encourage others to do the same. Additionally, calling your representatives to encourage them to vote for public land friendly proposals is an excellent way to take advantage of our democratic system and voice your concern. Finally, to address the vandalism happening in areas like Bears Ears, lead by example when visiting public lands. When visiting, act responsibly, practice the Leave No Trace Seven Principles, and enjoy the lands the way they’re meant to be enjoyed!

1. Plan Ahead & Prepare 2. Travel & Camp on Durable Surfaces 3. Dispose of Waste Properly 4. Leave What You Find 5. Minimize Campfire Impacts 6. Respect Wildlife 7. Be Considerate of Other Visitors

© The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics

WORKS CITED

© Bob Wick, Bureau of Land Management / Flickr.com /photos/mypubliclands

“Bears Ears National Monument.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 22 Feb. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

Bears_Ears_National_Monument “Conservation Groups File Lawsuit after President Trump Illegally Axed Dinosaur Treasure Grand Staircase-Escalante

National Monument.” Earthjustice, 4 Dec. 2017, earthjustice.org/news/press/2017/conservation-groups-file-lawsuit-after-president-trump-illegally-axed-dinosaur-treasure-grand-staircase-escalante-national-monument Greenberg, Max. “One Year Ago, Trump Launched His Attack on Our Public Lands. This Is What's Happened Since Then.” Wilderness.org, The Wilderness Society, 26 Apr. 2018, www.wilderness.org/articles/blog/ one-year-ago-trump-launched-his-attack-our-public-lands-whats-happened-then Indianz. “Jim Enote: NFL Team Owner Brushed Away Concerns over Mascot.” Indianz, Indianz, 12 Aug. 2014, www. indianz.com/News/2014/08/12/jim-enote-nfl-team-owner-brush.asp Lipton, Eric, and Lisa Friedman. “Oil Was Central in Decision to Shrink Bears Ears Monument, Emails Show.” The

New York Times, The New York Times, 2 Mar. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/03/02/climate/bears-ears-national-monument.htm “Native American Connections.” Protect Bears Ears, Bears Ears Coalition, bearsearscoalition.org/ ancestral-and-modern-day-land-users/ Nordhaus, Hannah. “What the Bears Ears Monument Means to a Native American.” National Geographic, National Geographic, 20 Oct. 2018, www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2018/10/ bears-ears-monument-native-americans-photography/ —. “What Trump's Shrinking of National Monuments Actually Means.” National Geographic, National Geographic Society, 2 Feb. 2018, news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/12/ trump-shrinks-bears-ears-grand-staircase-escalante-national-monuments/ Philbrick, Cyrus. “Bears Ears and the Value of Public Lands.” Earth Economics, Earth Economics, 5 June 2017, www. eartheconomics.org/latest-news-blog/2017/6/5/bears-ears-and-the-value-of-public-lands Rowland-Shea, Jenny. “American Treasure at Risk: How Bears Ears National Monument Stacks up to U.S. National

Parks.” Center for American Progress, 5 Apr. 2017, www.americanprogress.org/issues/green/news/2017/04/05/429667/ american-treasure-risk-bears-ears-national-monument-stacks-u-s-national-parks/ Sjogren, Morgan. “Bears Ears: Run to the Sunrise.” REI, REI, 7 June 2018, www.rei.com/blog/run/ bears-ears-run-to-the-sunrise Udall, Tom, and Raúl M. Grijalva. “It's Clear Trump Illegally Shrunk Bears Ears; the Department of Justice

Doesn't Want to Hear Our Legal Opinion.” The Denver Post, The Denver Post, 6 Dec. 2018, www.denverpost. com/2018/12/06/its-clear-trump-illegally-shrunk-bears-ears-the-department-of-justice-doesnt-want-to-hear-ourlegal-opinion/

image provided by author

Will Fricker is a second-year student majoring in marketing with a minor in sustainability, hoping to have a career in marketing for an environmentally-focused company. He loves doing just about anything outdoors, especially climbing, backpacking, and snowboarding, and also has a passion for protecting the spaces that he does these activities in. Will is currently involved in several sustainability-based organizations on campus, including Divest DU, SusCom, and DU Backpacking Club.

A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR

When assigned the task of creating a 4-6-page story of any genre for my WRIT 1122 class, choosing a topic was quite easy. While I had not yet been to those specific areas, I perceived President Trump’s massive reduction of both Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments as a very personal attack. Almost all of my most formative life experiences have occurred in some form of public land, and this was the greatest attack on public lands in American history. I felt a need to rationalize my anger and hurt through this paper, illustrating why America needs these national monuments and the consequences of their reduction.

Since writing this story, I have visited both Grand Staircase-Escalante and part of the area that used to be considered Bears Ears, experiencing their natural beauty firsthand and making that pain even more personal. While backpacking under the awe-inspiring Jacob Hamblin Arch in Grand Staircase and climbing the perfect sandstone cracks in Bears Ears, I couldn’t help but to think about how important it is that people see these areas. However, in order for these areas to be able to support more visitation, they need the protections of national monument status, to improve infrastructure and prevent damaging acts from unassuming tourists.

The fight for Bears Ears isn’t over; the native tribes that reside there are still filing lawsuits and speaking out against the damage done to their home. I encourage everyone passionate about protecting public lands to voice their support for these native tribes, raise awareness for this issue, and support politicians who vow to protect America’s beauty.