Preserve Utah’s Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument!
- by: Peter Scott
- recipient: Governor Gary Herbert
The Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument's vast and austere landscape embraces a spectacular array of scientific and historic resources. Utah HCR 12, the Concurrent Resolution Urging Federal Legislation to Reduce the Boundaries of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, is an archaic and illogical assault on one of the crown jewels of America’s National Monuments and an economic threat to the gateway communities of the Grand Staircase-Escalante. Our elected officials have made factually ungrounded assertions on the impact of the Monument, while turning their back on the vibrant and growing industries that represent the key future of Utah’s growing economy.
The facts tell a very different story, and represent what those of us living in these communities know - the Monument has been very good for all of us.
The Presidential Proclamation & Antiquities Act provide a clear mandate -- to protect the myriad historic & scientific resources on Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. To meet this objective, the Monument will be managed according to two basic principles. First and foremost, the Monument will remain protected in its primitive, frontier state, ensuring the remote, undeveloped nature of this landscape remain for generations to come. Second, the Monument will serve as an outdoor laboratory, providing scientific & educational opportunities to study biological & earth sciences, prehistoric life & environments, archaeology & pioneer history (GSENM Management Plan - 2000).
The economic benefits of the designation of Grand Staircase-Escalante have improved property values, household income and per capita income within Garfield County. “Garfield County's average annual real per capita personal income growth …surpassed Utah's average throughout the 2000s (1.34% vs. 1.15%), and outperformed Utah's average over the 6 year period of the last decade, 2010-2015 (2.86% vs. 2.15%)” (Bureau of Economic Analysis, n.d.).
The overall investments in the communities of the Garfield County since 1996 have been directly connected to the designation of the Monument.
Our vibrant, growing businesses and quality of life are dependent upon the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument remaining intact as designated in 1996,
The Monument has not negatively impacted local high schools’ enrollment. Bryce Valley and Panguitch High Schools’ enrollments remain steady, therefore, Escalante High School must be experiencing more complex pressures leading to the declining enrollment (Garfield County School District, 2016)
The Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is part of America’s Conservation Lands and belongs to all people, not Utahans alone.
The boundaries of the Monument were thoughtfully and scientifically designated with community input in 1997 (US Government Publishing Office, 1997)
Grazing on Grand Staircase-Escalante is currently managed by rules and regulations that predate the Monument, thus claims of the negative impact of the Monument on traditional grazing on public land are false (US Bureau of Land Management, 1999).
Actions by the State of Utah to attack the designations of National Monuments have already had serious economic impacts to the 8.12 billion dollar tourist industry (Alberty, 2017).
Extractive industries are in decline all over the United States, with two major facilities shutting down due to economic impracticality in West Virginia and Arizona (Dennis & Mufson, 2017).
We, the people implore our elected officials to cease all efforts to diminish the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument until such time that any factual data is presented indicating that such an act would substantially benefit the citizens of the state of Utah and the United States over and above the current boundaries.
The Bill: HCR12
Sources for information listed below:
Dennis, D., Muffson,S. (2017, 14 Feb). The West’s largest coal-fired power plant is closing. Not even Trump can save it. The Washington Post
Garfield County School District. (2016).145 E Center St, Panguitch, UT 84759 (435) 676-8821
Southern Utah Oral History Project. (2011). Jayne Belnap. Retrieved from US Government Publishing Office
Utah Regional Economic Analysis Project. Bureau of Economic Analysis
United States Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management. (1999) Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument approved management plan. The Monument Plan
The Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument's vast and austere landscape embraces a spectacular array of scientific and historic resources. Utah HCR 12, the Concurrent Resolution Urging Federal Legislation to Reduce the Boundaries of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, is an archaic and illogical assault on one of the crown jewels of America’s National Monuments and an economic threat to the gateway communities of the Grand Staircase-Escalante. Our elected officials have made factually ungrounded assertions on the impact of the Monument, while turning their back on the vibrant and growing industries that represent the key future of Utah’s growing economy.
The facts tell a very different story, and represent what those of us living in these communities know - the Monument has been very good for all of us.
The Presidential Proclamation & Antiquities Act provide a clear mandate -- to protect the myriad historic & scientific resources on Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. To meet this objective, the Monument will be managed according to two basic principles. First and foremost, the Monument will remain protected in its primitive, frontier state, ensuring the remote, undeveloped nature of this landscape remain for generations to come. Second, the Monument will serve as an outdoor laboratory, providing scientific & educational opportunities to study biological & earth sciences, prehistoric life & environments, archaeology & pioneer history (GSENM Management Plan - 2000).
The economic benefits of the designation of Grand Staircase-Escalante have improved property values, household income and per capita income within Garfield County. “Garfield County's average annual real per capita personal income growth …surpassed Utah's average throughout the 2000s (1.34% vs. 1.15%), and outperformed Utah's average over the 6 year period of the last decade, 2010-2015 (2.86% vs. 2.15%)” (Bureau of Economic Analysis, n.d.).
The overall investments in the communities of the Garfield County since 1996 have been directly connected to the designation of the Monument.
Our vibrant, growing businesses and quality of life are dependent upon the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument remaining intact as designated in 1996,
The Monument has not negatively impacted local high schools’ enrollment. Bryce Valley and Panguitch High Schools’ enrollments remain steady, therefore, Escalante High School must be experiencing more complex pressures leading to the declining enrollment (Garfield County School District, 2016)
The Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is part of America’s Conservation Lands and belongs to all people, not Utahans alone.
The boundaries of the Monument were thoughtfully and scientifically designated with community input in 1997 (US Government Publishing Office, 1997)
Grazing on Grand Staircase-Escalante is currently managed by rules and regulations that predate the Monument, thus claims of the negative impact of the Monument on traditional grazing on public land are false (US Bureau of Land Management, 1999).
Actions by the State of Utah to attack the designations of National Monuments have already had serious economic impacts to the 8.12 billion dollar tourist industry (Alberty, 2017).
Extractive industries are in decline all over the United States, with two major facilities shutting down due to economic impracticality in West Virginia and Arizona (Dennis & Mufson, 2017).
We, the people implore our elected officials to cease all efforts to diminish the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument until such time that any factual data is presented indicating that such an act would substantially benefit the citizens of the state of Utah and the United States over and above the current boundaries.
The Bill: HCR12
Sources for information listed below:
Dennis, D., Muffson,S. (2017, 14 Feb). The West’s largest coal-fired power plant is closing. Not even Trump can save it. The Washington Post
Garfield County School District. (2016).145 E Center St, Panguitch, UT 84759 (435) 676-8821
Southern Utah Oral History Project. (2011). Jayne Belnap. Retrieved from US Government Publishing Office
Utah Regional Economic Analysis Project. Bureau of Economic Analysis
United States Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management. (1999) Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument approved management plan. The Monument Plan
Sincerely,
Peter Scott
833 Arnecia Ct., Apt. #31
Millcreek, Utah 84106
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