John,
When the Trump Administration cut Bears Ears National Monument by 85% in 2017, it put more than a million acres of irreplaceable historical, archeological, and cultural sites at risk of looting and destruction. Now, they’ve released their plans to open up what’s left of Bears Ears National Monument to drilling and mining — ignoring the will of the majority of Americans to protect this undeveloped and precious landscape.
This plan is unacceptable. Don’t let the Trump Administration hand over the remaining portion of Bears Ears to private corporations to pillage.
Bears Ears National Monument was originally designated to protect 1.35 million acres of lands rich with cultural heritage, flora and fauna, and recreational opportunity. Allowing any part of these lands — from the ancient cliff dwellings to the scenic buttes to the juniper forests — to fall into the wrong hands will do irreversible damage to Utah’s iconic landscape. Yet, over 300 mining claims have already been filed within the original boundaries of the monument.
We cannot allow the Trump Administration to sell off Bears Ears National Monument to the highest bidder. That’s why we are working to build support in Congress for the Bears Ears Expansion and Respect for Sovereignty Act (H.R. 871). This Act will bar the administration from placing these public lands in the hands of corporations, expand the monument to 1.9 million acres, and restore protections for over 100,000 archeological and cultural sites currently at risk.
This bill must be passed to protect Bears Ears National Monument. Send a message to your representatives now to keep corporate hands off our public lands!
Thank you for keeping up the fight to protect our National Monument landscapes during this critical time.
Jordan Schreiber
Director of Advocacy, The Trust for Public Land
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