BY MIKE POPEJOY
October 8, 2021 was a monumental day for public lands in southern Utah. On that day President Joe Biden issued proclamations restoring the original boundaries of Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears national monuments, undoing the drastic reductions attempted by his predecessor.
On October 8, I was on a walk in Grand Staircase-Escalante with fellow monument-lovers. It was a day of gentle rain, rare for this landscape where rain often comes in intense downpours. We were hiking across exquisite Navajo sandstone, a white to cream-colored rock layer composed of ancient petrified sand dunes.
An oasis in the slickrock. MIKE POPEJOY
As the rain softly fell, it began to saturate the landscape, which had just endured yet another year of extreme drought. Before long, little rivulets ran down the grooves in the slickrock and joined together to form ephemeral creeks and gather in pools. We marveled at the blessing of rain in the desert — what it meant for the land, and what it meant for us. It felt like a chance to begin again, a cleansing of the turmoil that had gripped these lands in recent years. It felt like an invitation to heal, to leave divisiveness behind and move forward with compassion for the land and those who depend on it, our human and non-human relatives alike.
President Biden’s restoration of the monument boundaries provides crucial protection for these landscapes. Biden’s action also symbolized restorative justice — for the tribes with strong connections to these powerful landscapes, and for the land itself. The task ahead of us is to fulfill the promise of healing and justice on the ground and in the management of the monuments moving forward. Lines on a map are powerful and important, but it is what happens within those lines that determines whether we are being responsible stewards of the land.
STEPHANIE SMITH
Last year Grand Staircase-Escalante turned 25 years old. We have seen drastic changes since it was established in 1996. The effects of climate change are intensifying. Drought appears to be the norm rather than the exception. Species, from plants and insects to large mammals, are struggling. Water supplies are dwindling and becoming ever more important in an increasingly arid landscape. In addition, there has been growing recognition that public lands are also Indigenous ancestral lands, and that for too long Indigenous voices have not been afforded the proper weight in determining how these lands are to be managed.
The Biden administration has set a goal of March 1, 2024 to complete a new management plan for Grand Staircase-Escalante, and that process is likely to get underway in the coming months. A monument management plan provides direction for how this landscape will be managed, including how monument “objects,” which are specifically mentioned in the proclamation, will be protected. At Grand Staircase-Escalante, these objects include things like dinosaur fossils, cultural sites, and unique plant communities at the bottoms of canyons.
A monument management plan can govern a monument for quite some time. Grand Staircase-Escalante’s original management plan was in effect for 20 years. We have the opportunity to shape how the monument is managed for the foreseeable future at a time when proper care for this landscape is sorely needed. To that end, we’d like to share some of our top priorities in the management planning process with you. We hope you’ll join us in this process and lend your voice on behalf of the land.
Ready for their closeup: bighorn sheep in the monument. BLAKE MCCORD
Grand Staircase-Escalante has been known as “the science monument,” and for good reason. The quantity and quality of cutting-edge science that has come from this landscape is astounding, and new findings continue to come to light. For instance, research published just last year suggests that Tyrannosaurs may have hunted in packs when dinosaurs roamed what is now Grand Staircase-Escalante.
At least 660 different bee species make Grand Staircase-Escalante their home. Geologic research in the monument has even shed light on similar environments and formations on Mars. These are just a few of the mind-expanding results of science done on the monument.
Such science should of course continue, and, moving forward, a greater emphasis should be placed on the role of science in informing management and the proper care and protection of monument objects. A new management plan provides the opportunity to do just that.
BLAKE MCCORD
Indigenous traditional knowledge with respect to Grand Staircase-Escalante is rich and diverse. This land, before it was a “monument” or had “boundaries,” saw a unique intersection of various cultural groups with deep ties to the region. Today it remains a living cultural landscape for many tribes. Grand Staircase-Escalante’s importance as a cultural landscape includes remnants of human-fashioned materials, as well as plant communities, wildlife habitat, and life-giving springs.
A return to a holistic view of the land, which sees all aspects of the land as interconnected and important, is desperately needed. It is fundamentally different from the extractive paradigm which breaks the land up into “resources” that are bent to serve our will, and which has dominated management of much of the Western United States since European colonization. Traditional knowledge and science can be complementary and weaving the two is a significant opportunity for the future of Grand Staircase-Escalante. We will be advocating for authentic, robust consultation with tribes, and supporting tribes in their work to ensure Indigenous perspectives are heard and incorporated into the monument management plan.
Biological soil crusts in the monument hold the soil together, prevent erosion, and provide habitat for hundreds of species of small arthropods that are the base of the desert food chain. BLAKE MCCORD
The history of grazing cattle in the monument has transformed the landscape, undermining the natural functioning of the monument’s soil, water, plants, and wildlife. An in-depth analysis of grazing management has yet to be completed since the monument was established in 1996. The new management plan should determine whether existing grazing management allows for the proper care of the many wonders of this landscape identified in the proclamation. We will advocate for land health assessments to identify where change is needed. Lastly, grazing management must adapt to a hotter climate with more intense drought. We are in the midst of the worst drought in 1,200 years, as far back as records go. Grazing management must change to avoid what very well could be irreversible degradation of the monument’s soils, plants, and precious waters.
Juniper berries and pinyon pine nuts are enjoyed and used by wildlife and people. BLAKE MCCORD
We remain committed to preserving old-growth pinyon and juniper forests in the monument, which have survived here for centuries. Many wildlife species depend on these hardy trees, such as the pinyon jay, whose population has plummeted. These ancient trees, and the species that depend on them, should be protected in the new management plan.
BLAKE MCCORD
Recreation in Grand Staircase-Escalante is increasing, and understandably so; it’s one of the most spectacular places on the planet. But with this increased activity can come unwanted impacts, such as displacement of wildlife, vandalism of cultural sites, and more trash. We’re working to address these impacts with a variety of partners and intend to carry that collaborative work into the management plan.
There’s a lot of work to be done. We have before us the rare opportunity for a fresh start in Grand Staircase-Escalante, a chance to fulfill and to exceed the original vision for the monument. We hope you’ll join us.
Mike Popejoy directs the Grand Canyon Trust’s Utah Public Lands Program.
EDITOR'S NOTE: The views expressed by Advocate contributors are solely their own and do not necessarily represent the views of the Grand Canyon Trust.
Also in this issue:
Archaeologist Lyle Balenquah reflects on his summer field work in Bears Ears National Monument. Learn more ›