2017 October

November 4th, 2017

Notch Peak, Utah, from Great Basin National Park, Nevada                                                      (Mike Painter)
 

November 1, 2017

Dear CalUWild friends –

There’s a lot to cover this issue, especially with these three significant developments in October:

There was also movement on several other issues we’ve covered before, which also require citizen awareness.

It can feel overwhelming at times, I know, but if we want to have a future for our children and grandchildren, as well as ourselves, we need to speak up, loudly and together. So please make a list with your thoughts on all the various items below and make calls to the White House, the Interior Department, and Congress too. (In the interest of saving space, contact information for these is only given in Item 1.)
 

We’re proud to see that CalUWild Advisory Board Member composer John Adams’s new opera Girls of the Golden West, directed by Peter Sellars and taking place during the California Gold Rush, will have its premiere at the San Francisco Opera in a few weeks, with eight performances running through December 10. For more information, click here.
 

Finally, a couple of administrative items:

First: It’s an unfortunate fact that the barrage of attacks on specific places and general policy is increasing with this Administration. It’s impossible to include everything of interest in the Monthly Update, if we want to keep it to a manageable length, both for your reading and my writing. So this month, some issues to which we’ve devoted full items in the past are only updated with a link to a press article.

We do not want to send out numerous alerts during the month—we all get enough of those from other organizations. Therefore, we are trying to post more articles over the course of the month on our Facebook page. This is not due to any affection for Facebook itself, but it seems to be one place that many people pay some attention to. So if you’re on Facebook, please like and follow CalUWild there. (And if you have any other suggestions, please send me an email.)

Second: As year-end approaches, we traditionally send out our membership appeal, and we’ll be doing that in November and December. Dues have never been required to receive CalUWild’s Monthly Update, but we do rely on support from our members. If you’d like to help us save on printing and postage expenses, please send in a contribution ahead of time.

Dues payable to CalUWild are not tax-deductible, as they may be used for lobbying. If you’d like to make a tax-deductible contribution, please make your check payable to Resource Renewal Institute, our fiscal sponsor. Click here for suggested membership levels. Either way, drop it in the mail to:

 
Thank you, as always, for your ongoing interest and support for wilderness and public lands!
Mike
 

IN UTAH
1.   Administration Announces Plans to Shrink
          Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante
          National Monuments
          (ACTION ITEM)

IN GENERAL
2.   Rep. Rob Bishop Introduces a Bill
          To Completely Gut the Antiquities Act
          (ACTION ITEM)
3.   Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke
          Proposes Huge Increases
          In National Park Entrance Fees
          COMMENT DEADLINE: November 23
          (ACTION ITEM)
4.   Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke
          Continues to Cause Controversy
5.   Great Old Broads for Wilderness
          Annual Auction
          Through November 12

IN UTAH
1.   Administration Announces Plans to Shrink
          Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante
          National Monuments
          (ACTION ITEM)

On Friday, October 27, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) announced that the President told him, “I’m approving the Bears Ears recommendation for you, Orrin,” after having met with Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke that morning. No solid details were revealed, and White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said at a press briefing that the President would be traveling to Utah in December and would make an announcement then, if not before.

Sen. Hatch said in a statement:

This is an “alternative fact,” of course, since it was the tribes who proposed the monument in the first place. Although some individuals within the tribes opposed the monuments, their governing bodies were almost unanimous in support of the monument through the Inter-Tribal Coalition.

To add irony to the announcement, it was made on the 159th birthday of Pres. Theodore Roosevelt, who designated the first national monuments, and whom Secty. Zinke claims as a role model.

Earlier in the week, 14 Democratic senators led by Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, the lead sponsor of America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act, sent the President a letter urging him not to make any changes to either monument. It appears they’ve been ignored.

Aside from Utah politicians, who were generally pleased, the reaction has been negative across the country. The announcement was not unexpected, though, since the draft report was leaked, as we reported last month. (And don’t forget, the review was tainted from the very beginning, when the President said in announcing it that the designation of Bears Ears “should never have happened.”)

Call the White House and Interior Department and object before any final recommendations are made.

Also call your Representative in the House and Sens. Feinstein & Harris:

And, please, write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper, too.

California’s Rep. Alan Lowenthal (D-47), lead sponsor of America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act, issued a statement “Blast[ing] Trump Administration Decision To Downsize National Monuments.”

CalUWild Advisory Board Member Stephen Trimble wrote this op-ed in the Salt Lake Tribune: Mr. President, it’s not too late to save Bears Ears

Our friends at the Center for Western Priorities wrote this about the announcement: Trying to shrink Bears Ears, Trump makes it clear whose heritage he cares about.

In a more general vein, an article was published in Men’s Journal: Meet the Woman Who Knows Bears Ears Best and a reply appeared in the Salt Lake Tribune: No, that trail-runner in ‘Men’s Journal’ does not know Bears Ears ‘better than anyone living or dead’

The Los Angeles Times published an article on paleontology at Grand Staircase- Escalante NM: Remarkable dinosaur discoveries under threat with Trump plan to shrink national monument in Utah, scientists say

Since no formal action has been taken, such as issuing an executive order, no legal action can be taken at this time. But you can be certain that lawyers for the Indian Tribes and conservation organizations are preparing their arguments. We will keep you posted as developments arise.

In the meantime, speak up as often as you can in support of our public lands. And get your friends involved, too!
 

IN GENERAL
2.   Rep. Rob Bishop Introduces a Bill
          To Completely Gut the Antiquities Act
          (ACTION ITEM)

On October 6, Utah Rep. Rob Bishop (R), Chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources, introduced H.R.3990, the disingenuously titled National Monument Creation and Protection Act. On October 11, just five days later, the bill was passed out of the Committee on a party-line vote of 23-17. No vote has been scheduled in the full House, and there is no companion bill in the Senate.

Mr. Bishop has long been an opponent of the Antiquities Act of 1906, the law giving presidents the authority to designate object of historic or scientific interest as national monuments. (Courts have ruled that large landscapes, such as the Grand Canyon, qualify as objects of scientific interest under the Act.) Mr. Bishop was widely quoted as saying in 2015: “If anyone here likes the Antiquities Act the way it is written, die. I mean, stupidity out of the gene pool. It is the most evil act ever invented.” So it’s not at all surprising that he introduced this bill, which would:

Mr. Bishop’s bill is completely contrary to the entire history and use of the Antiquities Act, which has been used by 16 presidents of both parties. The very first national monument, designated by Pres. Theodore Roosevelt, was Devils Tower in Wyoming in 1906. It’s a geological feature, not man-made, so it wouldn’t qualify. Four of Utah’s so-called (by the state tourist office) “Mighty Five” national parks, were originally national monuments, but wouldn’t qualify, since they are landscapes. In the draft monument review memo leaked in September, Secty. Zinke proposed the creation of a new Badger-Two Medicine monument in Montana. But at 130,000 acres, it wouldn’t qualify, either. In fact, estimates are that more than 150 present-day monuments would not qualify under Mr. Bishop’s bill.

Please contact your Congressional Representatives and Senators to oppose this bill. Defeating it is as critical to the future of our public lands as defeating the monuments review. (See links in Item 1.)

Press reaction was overwhelmingly negative. Here are just four examples:

Largely forgotten has been the concurrent review of the marine national monuments being undertaken by the Administration. Reports are that a report has been delivered to the White House, but so far there has been no information forthcoming (i.e., no leaks). The New York Times did run an article this week on those monuments, though: Loss of Federal Protections May Imperil Pacific Reefs, Scientists Warn. It has some wonderful underwater pictures, maps, and information.
 

3.   Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke
          Proposes Huge Increases
          In National Park Entrance Fees
          COMMENT DEADLINE: November 23
          (ACTION ITEM)

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke ignited a firestorm in mid-October when he proposed raising entrance fees to 17 of the most popular national parks to as much as $70 for a private vehicle, $50 for a motorcycle, and $30 for a person on foot or bicycle. The higher fees would be in effect during the five heaviest visitation months for each park, i.e., generally summer vacation for most Americans. According to Mr. Zinke, the fees collected, estimated at $70 million a year, would go toward reducing the backlog of infrastructure projects in the various parks.

The parks affected would be: Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Denali, Glacier, Grand Canyon, Grand Teton, Olympic, Sequoia and Kings Canyon, Yellowstone, Yosemite, and Zion national parks with peak season starting on May 1, 2018; Acadia, Mount Rainier, Rocky Mountain, and Shenandoah National Parks with peak season starting on June 1, 2018; and Joshua Tree National Park as soon as practicable in 2018.

That reasoning is a stretch for a few reasons: First, the Interior Department has already proposed reducing its budget by several hundred million dollars for the next year. This would simply transfer a small portion of that decrease onto visitors. Secondly, the backlog is estimated to be close to 11 billion dollars; in other words, it’s a drop in the bucket. And finally, the cost of the “America the Beautiful” annual pass, allowing entrance to all national parks and fee areas, will remain at $80 per year. It is not at all clear that people would pay the single-entry fee every time they visited a park. (Skeptics are already saying that this will soon lead to a huge increase in the price of the annual pass, as well.)

Reaction was swift and almost unanimously negative. 12 Democratic senators, including California’s Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris, sent a letter to Mr. Zinke objecting. The letter raises another point:

The Washington Post had at least two commentaries, the first on its Wonkblog: The Park Service’s proposal to double entry fees could fix its maintenance problem 161 years from now and the second, an op-ed making the important point that at a time when we’re trying to expand the attractiveness of the parks to communities who haven’t traditionally visited them Making national parks more expensive will only make them whiter.

Related commentary in The Guardian: National parks for all: that’s a populist cry we need

We do not need to have our national parks turned into gated communities!

The Interior Department is collecting comments through November 23 on the Park Planning website here. Click on the “Comment Now” button.

MoveOn.org has a petition to sign if you’re inclined, though a phone call to the Interior Department (see Item 1) is probably better.

Please thank Sens. Feinstein and Harris for signing the letter. (Contact info in Item 1.)

We’ll see if Mr. Zinke pays any more attention to the comments received this time than he did on the monuments review, where 99% recommended no changes to any of them.
 

4.   Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke
          Continues to Cause Controversy

The Secretary and the Interior Department continue to be in the headlines on multiple fronts. However, there have been no developments in the controversy over his use of private jets to travel, which we reported on last month. Rather than go into detail on each, I’ll post articles from the press ; the headlines pretty much speak for themselves.

We wrote in the September Update (Item 2) about Joel Clement, an upper level employee transferred from his science position to accounting. He resigned at the beginning of October. Here is more background:

Articles in the Washington Post:

An article in Politico: Zinke funneled millions to questionable PACs

An article in the Bozeman Daily Chronicle: U.S. Senate candidate charged with nine Montana hunting violations. Secty Zinke’s wife is the chair of the campaign.

Meet the Interior Department official who wants to give away America’s public lands: By giving Todd Wynn a job, Ryan Zinke shows his true colors
 

5.   Great Old Broads for Wilderness
          Annual Auction
          Through November 12

Our sister organization is having its annual fundraising auction. You can find all sorts of fun and interesting items: artwork, books, meals, weekend stays, guided trips, and more—for yourself or to give— at http://auction.greatoldbroads.org.

Check it out!
 

IN CALIFORNIA
6.   Conglomerate Mesa Proposed Wilderness Area
          Under Threat of Gold Mining
          Comments Needed
          DEADLINE: November 20
          (ACTION ITEM)

Information in this item comes from our friends at Friends of the Inyo and the California Wilderness Coalition.

Conglomerate Mesa is a wild roadless area on the east edge of the Owens Valley, near Owens Lake and just north of the Malpais Wilderness. The Bureau of Land Management manages it, and last year it was designated as California Desert National Conservation Land. A Canadian mining company would like to conduct exploratory drilling for gold.

The BLM lays out four options for this proposal:

Please write the BLM requesting it adopt the “no-action” option and deny any permitting whatsoever for this project. Pick several of the following talking points and put them in your own words. And if you’ve been in the area, be sure to mention that, too. (And if you haven’t, here’s a chance to learn about a new place.)

•   Conglomerate Mesa is a spectacular wilderness quality landscape of Joshua Tree and Pinyon woodland with elevations ranging from 3,800 to 7,100 ft. From the top of the mesa, visitors can see expansive views of multiple wilderness areas, Owens Lake, the glittering Sierra Nevada and into the expanses of Saline Valley and Death Valley National Park.

•   The area is a proposed wilderness addition to the Malpais Mesa Wilderness directly south of the project area.

•   Conglomerate Mesa is the first roadless area in California under threat of development by the Trump Administration. The BLM is proposing to allow SSR Mining Inc. to drill seven exploratory sites to locate gold deposits in the heart of the roadless area.

•   The ultimate objective of the project is an industrial-scale open pit (cyanide heap leach) gold mine. Such an operation would permanently damage the area’s wild character, degrade wildlife habitat, and pollute scarce local water systems. It’s well documented that cyanide heap leaching poses significant hazards to plants and animals from gold mining and related toxic water issues.

•   Local tribes oppose the project as the mesa is an important tribal site for traditional uses.

•   The historic Keeler-Death Valley trail, circa late 1800s, traverses the north end of Conglomerate Mesa and should be preserved for its cultural and historic significance.

•   Multiple special status and rare plant species are found within the proposed project area and will be harmed by drilling. The area provides habitat for rare plants like the Inyo rock daisy, as well as key species including bobcats, Mojave Ground Squirrels, Townsend’s Western Big-eared bats, Golden Eagles, Mule deer and mountain lions.

•   The area is prized locally for deer hunting.

•   The area is also rich in heritage resources including the remains of charcoal and stone masonry sites used in the late 1800’s to supply the Cerro Gordo mine.

•   Each year, millions of visitors come to experience the public lands of the Eastern Sierra and National Parks such as Death Valley. Fully protecting Conglomerate Mesa is key to the protecting our local tourism and recreation economies. These industries present increasing opportunities for gateway communities such as Lone Pine and Olancha.

•   Conglomerate Mesa is geologically significant, providing an unusually complete record that is key to unraveling the evolution of the continental edge of the southwestern US during the Permian and early Triassic periods (c. 247-300 million years ago). Several strata contain fossils (fusulinids, a type of plankton with calcite casings, and corals) that accurately date them. Some of the fusulinids are found only in the Conglomerate Mesa area. This record would be destroyed forever by open-pit mining and cannot be made right through back filling or reclamation.

•   Tourism and recreation remain the primary driver of Inyo County’s economy: total direct travel spending in the desert region in 2013 reached $6.2 billion. While mining comprises only 3% of employment in Inyo County, industries that include travel and tourism comprise 33%.

•   Mining operations are likely to provide only short-term local revenue and employment but lasting environmental damage that will not only scar the land and pollute our water, but also degrade Inyo County’s reputation as a scenic, outdoor recreation destination.

•   The BLM needs to fulfill its promise to protect the California Desert National Conservation Lands by choosing the “no action” alternative.

Remind BLM that protecting roadless, wild areas significantly improves the quality of our soils, drinking water, and air. They provide refuge for the wildlife that have been forced out of their natural habitat by development or climate change as well as corridors to other lands where they can thrive.

Also remind BLM that tourism and recreation remain the biggest drivers of Inyo County’s economy. When supporters of projects like this claim that they will bring new jobs, the comparison is weak when you consider that extractive projects often only supply short-term employment for a small number of people (only 13 in this case). In contrast, recreation is a growing industry that reflects local character and will stick around to help build communities in the long run.

Don’t let the floodgates open for more attacks on wilderness-quality lands in California. Tell BLM that Inyo County depends more on intact, healthy landscapes than compromised, hollowed-out ones.

You can read the Draft Environmental Assessment here.

Comments may be submitted:

Again, the deadline for submitting comments is November 20.
 

7.   Central Coast Heritage Protection Act Introduced
          (ACTION ITEM)

And now for some good news.

In mid-October, Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-24) and Sen. Kamala Harris (D) jointly introduced the Central Coast Heritage Protection Act. The bill would designate almost 250,000 acres of wilderness in the Los Padres National Forest and in the Carrizo Plain National Monument. It also establishes the Condor National Recreation Trail, running from Los Angeles to Monterey, a distance of almost 400 miles.

In the House, Reps. Julia Brownley (D-26) and Jimmy Panetta (D-20) are original co-sponsors of the bill, H.R. 4072. Los Padres NF is partly in their districts as well.

In the Senate, Dianne Feinstein is an original cosponsor and the bill number is S. 1959.

Please thank any and all of these legislators for their support of new wilderness in California! (See Item 1.)
 

IN OTHER NEWS

There have been developments regarding a few topics we’ve covered over the years. In the interest of saving space, here are press articles relating to them.
 

8.   ALASKA: U.S. Senate’s Budget Resolution Allows
           For Possible Drilling in the Arctic Refuge and More

An op-ed in the New York Times by renowned wildlife biologist George Schaller and Martin Robards: Protect Alaska’s Last Great Wilderness From Oil Drilling

From the Center for Western Priorities: The Senate just quietly opened the door for a massive sell-off of American public lands
 

9.   ALASKA: Road through Wilderness in Izembek National Wildlife Refuge

A Washington Post article: Interior looks at behind-the-scenes land swap to allow road through wildlife refuge
 

10.   ARIZONA: Grand Canyon Confluence Tramway Project Killed

The Navajo Nation Council voted 16-2 to defeat the proposal. Click here for details.
 

11.   OREGON: Penalties for 2 Defendants in Malheur NWR Takeover

From The Oregonian: Two who dug trenches at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge to pay $10,000 each in restitution
 

12.   UTAH: Recapture Canyon ATV Protest Conviction Upheld

A Salt Lake Tribune article: Appeals court upholds conviction of San Juan Commissioner Phil Lyman for leading protest ATV ride
 

IN MEMORIAM
13.   The Colorado River’s Katie Lee

Just as this Update was being finished up, the sad news came in that Katie Lee, an actress in films and on radio, singer, and author, but most of all, a stalwart lover of the Colorado River in Glen Canyon, died October 31 at her home in Arizona at the age of 98. The Verde, Arizona, Independent published a lengthy article about her, with many details of her long and interesting life: Arizona icon, Jerome’s Katie Lee, dies at age 98

It’s worth reading, as are her books, especially All My Rivers Are Gone. Anyone who met Katie will remember the occasion. She will be missed.
 

IN THE PRESS & ELSEWHERE
14.   Links to Articles 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. As always, inclusion of an item in this section does not imply agreement with the viewpoint expressed.

There’s enough serious reading included this month, so we’ll include just two articles of slightly more general interest from the New York Times:

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 information on making a contribution to CalUWild, click here.

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Tags: national monuments, National Monuments Review, newsletter, october
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