On August 11, the Bureau of Land Management released a draft Resource Management Plan (RMP) and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and opened a 90-day period for public comments.
The period for public comments ends on November 9.
The RMP currently proposes four alternative plans for the public to comment on — and the BLM has stated that Alternative C — the second-most restrictive plan, is the BLM’s preferred alternative.
“We continue to seek input from the public, State and local governments, Tribes, and interested groups to inform this planning effort,” said Paria River District Manager Harry Barber in the BLM’s press release. “The resource management plan will be developed with maximum public involvement and be designed to ensure the long-term protection of monument objects.”
The RMP would govern what activities are allowed across the 1.87 million acre monument, and replace the 2020 RMP that set rules for the lands under President Trump’s downsized monument boundaries.
Kya Marienfield, wild lands attorney for SUWA applauded Alternative C, which would terminate OHV use in the 116-acre Little Desert area on the west fringe of Escalante City. Under the Trump plan, “You can drive where the heck you want in a conservation monument,” she said speaking specifically of Little Desert, “and that’s wild.”
Locals, who are just starting to read into the proposed plan, have been highly critical of the alternatives provided and the whole process in general. David Dodds, Garfield County Public Works Director, pointed out that in the proposed alternatives, environmentalists pretty much got what they asked for — and locals, almost nothing. “They really don’t want people in there,” he said.
Garfield County Commissioner Leland Pollock pointed out that the plan proposes to wipe out 12,000 animal unit months (AUMs) from grazing, which he says would be catastrophic for livelihoods. He also pointed out that the proposal would eliminate target shooting on 50% of the monument.
“People need to attend these meetings on the Grand Staircase,” Pollock said.
The BLM has invited the public to attend the Monument Advisory Committee meeting virtually from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on September 12, which includes a public comment period at 1:30 p.m.
– The Byway
Feature image courtesy of the BLM.
Read about BLM’s new “Alternative E” here.