Concern for Bears Ears (the bigger picture)

[Doobie]

With all the recent cuts to the Park Service and just about anything related to public lands, I’ve been aware and frustrated for a while—but I hadn’t really felt the impact firsthand. At least, not until now.

I’m heading out on a backpacking trip through the Bears Ears region this weekend, and while the area still requires a permit, you no longer need to get it signed in person. The Kane Gulch Ranger Station is now only open Thursday through Sunday until early June because of staffing shortages. It’s a small change, but it hit me a little harder than I expected.

Last year on a similar trip, I picked up The Bears Ears by David Roberts, and it really shifted the way I think about this place. Decades of looting, misuse, and neglect have already done more damage than we probably realize. Without proper oversight (without people out here actively watching over it) I worry we’re going to see those patterns repeat. Not just in Bears Ears, but across the Southwest and in so many of the places we all care about.

I know most folks on this forum already understand the value of these landscapes, but it’s hard not to feel like we’re in a moment where we’re losing ground. And I’ve been thinking a lot about what we, as a community, can actually do to help protect these spaces. Even small things—what’s worth doing, what’s actually helpful?

And if there are any rangers or folks who’ve worked in public lands reading this—I’d love to hear from you too. What kind of support would actually make a difference? What do you wish more visitors understood or did differently? I can only imagine how much effort goes unseen, and I want to better understand how we can help carry the load.

I’m curious if anyone else has started noticing these kinds of shifts—permit systems changing, ranger presence thinning out, trailheads going without upkeep, stuff like that. Or maybe you’ve had a similar experience where something clicked and made you realize how precarious it all is.

Would love to hear any thoughts, or ways you’ve found to get involved.

 

[bicycle]

Much of the public has never even heard of the most threatened areas. Just about everyone's heard of Zion for example, but a majority of people have never heard of Bears Ears. As a result more people will be upset if Zion were threatened compared to Bears Ears, and more people will protest. What I'm getting at with this is that we can at least help by spreading awareness of these places, sharing stories and photos with friends and family. Make it known that the US does not just have national parks, it has national monuments, state parks, wilderness areas etc. too, and many of those are equally as impressive as the national parks and deserve at least a fraction of the same funding and respect from the federal government.

 

[fossana]

I live in a town that borders on BLM and USFS land. Our local USFS office has been scrambling to do damage control related to the funding and staffing cuts. Few locals here realize that on the chopping block was a large bucket of Inflation Reduction Act money for planned fire mitigation. Our local water district and fire department have been working with USFS to identify ways we can help with the mitigation effort. I've also been helping the office look into alternative funding sources for mitigation.

From an individual perspective, you can sign up for a volunteer project with one of the partner non-profits, like Bears Ears Partnership, Grand Staircase Escalante Partners, or Grand Canyon Trust. If you want something more ad hoc, commit to spending a few hours a month doing trail maintenance, like brush trimming, or picking up trash along your favorite trails or trailhead access roads. If you have more time and a reliable schedule, consider looking into volunteer visitor center staffing or campground host positions. A lot of retirees do this.

Also, I posted this on another thread, but this form from the SL Tribune is still up.

The Trump administration has moved to drastically reduce the federal workforce in an effort to slash spending in Washington D.C. Those cuts will affect the agencies tasked with operating and maintaining national parks, forests and BLM land. In the Beehive State, where the U.S. government owns 64.4% of the land, those decisions will directly affect management of those lands -- and your experiences on them.

We want to listen more, and listen better, about what’s happening to those places. But we need your help. You’re in these spaces, and know them better than anyone else. You can help us better tell these stories.

Tagging @desertvic from GSE Partners for other ideas.

 

[Dreamer]

Make a stink! A BIG stink!!
Tell them what you think!!

 

[SteveR]

Cutting service at Kane sounds really shortsighted, but if funds or staff are limited, I guess they are trying to do the best that they can. I was under the impression that many of the staff there are volunteers? Generally, I've found them to be very helpful there, especially once you start asking the "right" questions.
Increasingly here in Alberta, it is volunteer user groups that are planning, building and maintaining trails on public land (roughly equivalent to BLM). I see that as one of the best ways to free up funds and time so that paid staff can focus on other things.

 

[Bob]

Never was staffed many hours when I used to travel there. Like 12 to 4 m to f. Permits were pay it yourself. Be er have seen any rangers in GG eirher in all the years

 

[desertvic]

Great thread. Thanks for tagging me Michelle.

Unfortunately, we are loosing people here in GSENM too. The impact might not be immediately visible to most visitors, but over time it will be.

At Grand Staircase Escalante Partners (GSEP), we are still boots on the ground. We have been working tirelessly to mitigate visitor impacts, with and without volunteers. From cleaning up campsites to remediating graffiti, we do our best to keep the place looking great for visitors and protect the resource.

Fortunately, we had more volunteers sign up this year. Folks are encouraged to join if they want to help, learn more about the land, and better understand the impacts we are trying to address.

GSEP Volunteer Portal

Thank you for your interest in volunteering with Grand Staircase Escalante Partners Grand Staircase Escalante Partners (GSEP) is a 501(c) non profit, whose mission is to honor the past and safeguard the future of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument through science, conservation, and

gsenm.org

For those living out of state, donations to friends groups like ours are always extremely helpful too, especially as we continue to lose federal funding.

 

[ImNotDedYet]

As @fossana said, you can try Bears Ears Partnership in Bluff - previously called Friends of Cedar Mesa. Grand Canyon Trust does a lot to make the public aware of issues in the Grand Canyon, Grand Staircase and Bears Ears as well as easily contact representatives. You can also follow @bearsearspartnership, @bearsearscoalition, @grandcanyontrust and @timmydp (a writer and photographer for Grand Canyon Trust) on instagram for updates. Those would be the best places to ask how to most effectively fight some of these changes.

Mr. Roberts has written a number of books about the area that are fascinating reads. Mr. Abbey spent a decent amount of time in the area as well.

There's a "recent" history of raiding of sites within what is now Bears Ears National Monument for profit by the non-indigenous people in the towns throughout the area, particularly Monticello and Blanding. (the raiding occurred prior to the National Monument designation) It's also a particularly sad story.

David Roberts and many others who knew of the magic of the area of Bears Ears were against the creation of the National Monument, fearing it would bring throngs of people that would destroy it. I don't believe that to be the case, but I do think more people know about it today than had it not been designated a monument. In particular, it was created at the end of President Obama's last term, then shrunk by 85% in the first couple years of President Trump's first term, then re-sized to the original size by President Biden - which has brought a lot more attention to it than had it not gone thought the size changes. I fully expect it to be shrunk again to make it easier for the extraction industries -it's currently "under review". Grand Staircase also was shrunk by 50% by President Trump, then re-sized by President Biden. It's highly like that it too, will see it's size decrease in the coming year or two, among other federal lands.

As the summer begins and the attendance to federal lands really kicks in, we're going to see what these cuts have truly impacted.