Petroglyphs, Bears Ears National Monument, Utah                                                                                           (Mike Painter)

 
March 9, 2022

Dear CalUWild friends—

Much of the world’s attention has been focused on the war in Ukraine, and we join in hoping for a quick resolution to the conflict there. But although it’s half-way around the world, its effects are potentially impacting public lands here in the U.S. No sooner had the discussion turned to reducing imports of oil from Russia, than industry and its friends began suggesting opening up more public land to oil and gas exploration here. But as the White House and others have pointed out, there are close to 9,000 existing leases that have yet to be developed, so the industry should be looking there first before asking for new leases.

Colorado College released the results of its 12th annual State of the Rockies Conservation in the West Poll, showing that Westerners increasingly support public land protection. 69% of respondents are concerned about the future of Nature, up from 61% in 2021. 86% said that the environment and public lands are important factors in deciding which elected officials to support—up from 80% in 2020 and 75% in 2016.

Outdoor equipment companies Patagonia, North Face, REI, and others said that they will boycott the Outdoor Retailers Show if it moves back to Salt Lake City, now that its contract in Denver is expiring. They are protesting the State of Utah’s lack of support for protection of federal public lands in the state, which is what caused the organizers to move from Salt Lake City to Denver in the first place. We’ll have to wait and see how that develops.

As always, there’s much more to read in Item 4 below.

 
Thanks for your support, and best wishes,
Mike

 
IN UTAH
1.   Red Rock Bill Cosponsor Update
          (ACTION ITEM)

IN NEVADA
3.   Legislation Introduced in the House to Establish
Avi Kwa Ame National Monument

IN THE PRESS & ELSEWHERE
4.   Links to Articles and Other Items of Interest

IN UTAH
1.   Red Rock Bill Cosponsor Update
          (ACTION ITEM)

There are no new California cosponsors to announce for America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act this month. But with Rep. Alan Lowenthal (D-47), the chief sponsor of the bill, retiring at the end of this Congress, we would like to see more representatives from California sign on. So we’re helping the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance set up meetings—April through July, either in-person or via Zoom—in the districts listed below. Constituent support for the Red Rock bill is important. If you would like to take part in a meeting with your representative, please send me an email. No prior experience is needed, and you can say as much or as little as you wish—simply being present sends a message.

These are the offices we are looking to meet with:

A list of current California cosponsors may be found on our California Congressional Information Sheet. SUWA’s complete list of cosponsors nationwide may be found here.

 
IN CALIFORNIA
2.   Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument Expansion Act
Gets a Hearing in the House
          (ACTION ITEM)

As we reported in our January Update, Rep. John Garamendi (D-3), along with cosponsor Mike Thompson (D-5), introduced the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument Expansion Act, H.R.6366. The bill adds Walker Ridge—which it also renames “Molok Luyuk” (“Condor Ridge” in the local indigenous Patwin language)—an area of about 4,000 acres on the east side of the monument in Lake County.

In addition, the bill would:

The bill is reportedly the first to mandate tribal involvement in management planning and implementation.

Last Tuesday, the House Natural Resources Committee held a hearing at which Rep. Garamendi testified in support of the bill, as did Tribal Chairman Anthony Roberts of the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation.

Rep. Garamendi hopes the full Natural Resources Committee will now schedule H.R.6366 for markup before this summer. His office also hopes to secure additional cosponsors, especially those House members who cosponsored bills in previous Congresses, leading up to the National Monument designation in 2015:

Please contact their offices and ask them to cosponsor Rep. Garamendi’s bill. Rep. Jared Huffman (D-2) has already cosponsored. Please thank him.

Contact information may be found on our California Congressional Information Sheet.

 
Related item: Yesterday the House Natural Resources Committee held the first Congressional hearing “Examining the History of Federal Lands and the Development of Tribal Co-Management.” A recording is available on YouTube.

 
IN NEVADA
3.   Legislation Introduced in the House to Establish
          Avi Kwa Ame National Monument

Last month, Nevada Representative Dina Titus (D) introduced the Avi Kwa Ame National Monument Establishment Act of 2022 (H.R.6751). The monument would cover about 450,000 acres in the Mojave Desert at the southern tip of Nevada, along the California border. The area is biologically and culturally significant. The bill is supported by the Fort Mojave Indian Tribe, the Clark County Commission, and numerous conservation and other organizations.

As we mentioned in Item 8 of our September – October 2021 Update our friends at the Conservation Lands Foundation created a multimedia story map bringing together Indigenous leaders and voices to tell the cultural, spiritual, and historical stories of Avi Kwa Ame.

A map of the proposed monument may be found here.

 
IN THE PRESS & ELSEWHERE
4.   Links to Articles and Other Items of Interest

If a link is broken or otherwise inaccessible, please send me an email, and I’ll fix it or send you a PDF copy. Gift links are temporary links from some websites, allowing non-subscribers to view articles for free. As always, inclusion of an item in this section does not imply agreement with the viewpoint expressed.

IN UTAH

IN CALIFORNIA

IN NEVADA

IN GENERAL

Support CalUWild!

Membership is free, but your support is both needed and appreciated. Dues are not tax-deductible, as they may be used for lobbying activities. There are several ways to contribute:

If you’d like to make a tax-deductible contribution, please send a check payable to Resource Renewal Institute, CalUWild’s fiscal sponsor.

If your address is not on the check please print out and enclose a membership form. All checks should be mailed to:

As always, if you ever have questions, suggestions, critiques, or wish to change your e-mail address or unsubscribe, all you have to do is send an email. For membership information, click here.

Please “Like” and “Follow” CalUWild on Facebook.