Wesley Tyler of Roy, Utah challenges Interior Secretary Zinke to ask ‘supporters’ of Obama’s Bears Ears federal designation where they are from. Chances are, they will not be from San Juan County, the actual location of Bears Ears.
by Marjorie Haun
On May 6, 2017, the residents of San Juan County; those who would be most negatively impacted by the 1.35 million acre federal land grab known as the Bears Ears National Monument, rallied at Pioneer Park in Blanding, Utah, to magnify their voices, and show Interior Secretary Zinke and President Donald Trump, that they want the monument rescinded. These are the faces and voices of the real Bears Ears community.
San Juan County Resident, Eva Workman, makes the case to Secretary Zinke for rescinding the Bears Ears.
Wesley Tyler of Roy, Utah challenges Interior Secretary Zinke to ask ‘supporters’ of Obama’s Bears Ears federal designation where they are from. Chances are, they will not be from San Juan County, the actual location of Bears Ears.
Georgia Bayles Black, San Juan County, cattle rancher, supporter of Sportsmen for Fish & Wildlife, shares the concerns of cattlemen, hunters, anglers, and others, that poor federal management will negatively impact wildlife, and force ranchers off their historical grazing allotments.
Dennis Lightfoot, a San Juan County resident well acquainted with the negative impact of federal restrictions and the overselling of national monuments and parks in other parts of southeastern Utah, warns that ‘industrial tourism is not conservation.’
Janet Wilcox, retired teacher and journalist, has never gotten involved in a political fight, until now.
In just 24 hours, the Stewards of San Juan County, headed by Jami Bayles, organized a rally for residents, including members of the Aneth Navajo and Ute tribal chapters, to send a ringing message to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, who will tour the Bears Ears region on May 8, that the national monument was not approved by locals, and must be rescinded all, or in part, in order to protect the culture and economic freedom of the real Bears Ears community.
Excerpt from speech by Jami Bayles, the leader of Stewards of San Juan County:
Our little community has been through a lot over the last year. We’ve dealt with fake fliers, biased journalism, and hateful comments on articles that we stayed up late nights to write. We’ve been intentionally left out of surveys and push polls, and most recently, our personal stories have been referred to as #FAKENEWS. We’ve been called “right-wing nutjobs”, “snowflakes”, “tame Indians”, and “token Navajos”. We’ve stood in disbelief as we watched our Navajo and Ute friends be lied to and ignored by individuals who used their power and position to deceive and destroy. On social media we’ve been misquoted, degraded, personally attacked, and our entire county was even blocked by a former ….well, you all know who I’m talking about. Ranchers have had their livestock messed with, and sisters were banned from a press conference hosted by companies including Black Diamond and Patagonia because they weren’t wearing the right pro-monument t-shirts. We’ve been told by out of state recreation enthusiasts, “my hobby is more important than your livelihood, so if you don’t like it, you need to move somewhere else.”
Majorie, your presence at our rally yesterday, was huge, as you have done so much to help the overlooked rural lifestyle of America! Keep up the good work. I know we’ll see you often on this battlefield of freedom and state’s rights.
I have made comments on several of your articles but you do not print them. My comments are not in lock step with your view point where as those that you do print seem to always mirror the tone of the article. Are you trying to hide the fact that some Americans don’t agree with you? What about truth?
It appears that your comments have all been approved by staff. We welcome diverse points of view. Our rule of thumb is simple, no personal insults and no profanity.
Majorie, your presence at our rally yesterday, was huge, as you have done so much to help the overlooked rural lifestyle of America! Keep up the good work. I know we’ll see you often on this battlefield of freedom and state’s rights.
I have made comments on several of your articles but you do not print them. My comments are not in lock step with your view point where as those that you do print seem to always mirror the tone of the article. Are you trying to hide the fact that some Americans don’t agree with you? What about truth?
It appears that your comments have all been approved by staff. We welcome diverse points of view. Our rule of thumb is simple, no personal insults and no profanity.