Coalition To Protect America’s National Parks Statement on the Trump Administration’s Efforts to Shrink Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears National Monuments

Contact: Doug Gordon | do**@***************es.com 

Coalition To Protect America’s National Parks Statement on the Trump Administration’s Efforts to Shrink Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears National Monuments

In response to President Trump signing an executive order to shrink Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears National Monuments, Cheryl Schreier, Chair of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, issued the following statement: 

“This executive order is another assault on our National Parks, public lands and national monuments. Let’s be clear, this executive order is not conservation. It is nothing more than a giveaway to mining, drilling, and other special interests at the expense of every American who owns these lands.

Our national monuments belong to all Americans and preserve irreplaceable cultural sites, wildlife habitat, and outdoor recreation opportunities for generations to come. Shrinking these monuments will reduce access for hiking, camping, hunting, fishing, and countless other outdoor traditions while putting critical wildlife habitat at risk, including more than 1.2 million acres of big-game migration corridors. 

Local communities also stand to lose, as gateway economies depend on healthy public lands that support tourism and help local economies. 

The American people have rejected this approach before, and they reject it today. In 2017, nearly three million Americans spoke out after the administration dramatically reduced Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante. 

We urge the administration to abandon this misguided effort and instead honor its responsibility to protect these irreplaceable places for future generations.”

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