| We have an urgent call-to-action for Jason: Together, five native tribes — the Navajo Nation, the Hopi Tribe, the Ute Indian Tribe, the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, and the Zuni Tribe — proposed that the sacred land around the Bears Ears formation be designated a national monument. In 2016, they were successful, and President Obama afforded land preservation protections to the surrounding 1,351,849 acres. Unfortunately, while Donald Trump was president, he reduced the protected area by 85%, a massive and devastating decrease for the tribes with deep cultural and spiritual connections to the entire Bears Ears landscape, as well as the locals and visitors who enjoy its natural beauty. Native communities and activists should not have to continously fight for the protection of their sacred land. Sign on now to help us support them in their fight to expand Tribal sovereignty and land management rights. While the Bears Ears Commission won full reinstatement of land protections under President Biden, who named the five tribes in the Commission as collaborative managers of these sacred lands and waters, the fight isn't over. The Commission has worked with the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service to develop a management plan for the monument, which is monumental — a historic shift in federal-Tribal relations and the approach to tribally-informed land management. However, the Bears Ears Commission is calling for implementation of "Alternative E" as outlined in the plan they created, which would set a new standard for Tribal sovereignty and sustainable management of public lands. Our Native neighbors are calling on us to help advocate for its adoption, and the deadline is fast approaching. Please read the text of our official comment in support of this critical plan below and click the button to sign on. Official Comment Full Text: Thank you for the opportunity to submit a comment on the draft resource management plan for the Bears Ears National Monument. The lands, waters, and resources of the Monument deserve to be sustainably managed. Incorporating Traditional Indigenous Knowledge (TIK) and Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) into the management plan is critical to protect the biodiversity and health of the Monument for generations to come.
The Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service must ensure that Alternative E, the preferred alternative, becomes the final resource management plan for the Bears Ears National Monument. Alternative E represents a sustainable and collaborative land and resource management that: - Upholds the sovereignty of the Tribes and honors Indigenous peoples' personal, traditional, and cultural connections to land.
- Reflects time-tested best practices for land management passed down over centuries from the original, and ongoing, stewards of this land.
- Protects the habitat, wildlife, and resource biodiversity.
- Responsibly manages access and use of the Monument in a way that allows current and future visitors to recreate, hunt, and fish, while also responding to the needs and health of the land.
It's time to align our standards for managing public lands with time-tested practices. Sincerely, Jason | | | |
No comments:
Post a Comment