With all of the national parks and monuments in the United States, one may wonder whether there is a need to designate more.
The answer is yes. We need to continue to set aside critical lands, emphasizing conservation, recreation, tourism, education, community prosperity and spiritual values.
...The Grand Canyon ecosystem is far more than a narrow canyon cut through the Kaibab Plateau. The forests, grasslands, tributaries and entire watershed are an integral part of the Grand Canyon. It keeps this unique and inspiring landscape alive and vibrant.
...This area is also important for protecting the water quality of the Colorado River, important for agriculture and drinking water for millions of people.
The value of protected public lands should not be underestimated. They contribute to the health of the environment, wildlife and people. These lands nourish our spirit and inspire our youths. Park and forest lands preserve many values important to Native American tribes and the American public and are economic drivers for both communities and tribes.
The splendor of the Grand Canyon doesn't stop at the park boundaries. In the absence of protections for surrounding lands, threats such as logging and uranium mining loom.
With 13 national-monument designations during his presidency, President Obama understands the importance of safeguarding our natural and cultural heritage. The forests and high deserts of the Grand Canyon Watershed are worthy of national-monument designation. This administration still has time to bring together the tribes and communities of this region to develop a world-class area to protect the values inherent in this landscape.
Steve Martin is a former superintendent of Grand Canyon National Park
Editorials and op-eds like this are popping up all over the West. The enviros are doing a great job in pushing for more monuments. Combine that with a President just itching to use his pen as a payback to the enviro groups and we can expect more designations.
One also has to wonder what role, if any, the keystone pipeline will play in all this. With the recent news the Senate will hold a vote on the issue to help Mary Landrieu's re-election, its not hard to visualize a scenario where Obama would approve the pipeline and in return designate millions of acres as national monuments. If that be the case, the oilies get a win, the enviros get a win and us poor raggedy folks in the public lands states will take it in the shorts once again. This is another reason we should seriously look at transferring the majority of these lands back to the states. As it stands now, we are nothing but fodder to be traded in the political marketplace.
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