Grand Staircase Escalante Partners Urges President Biden to Restore National Monument
As we celebrate Earth Week, board president, John Holland at Grand Staircase-Escalante Partners, issued the following statement urging President Biden to take bold action to restore the national monument without delay. The organization he leads is dedicated to honoring the past and safeguarding the future of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument through science, conservation, and education:
“We were inspired that Secretary Deb Haaland was able to come to Utah, listen to a diverse array of stakeholders, and see the majestic and historically significant place that is Grand Staircase-Escalante. We know Sec. Haaland saw just how important this place is and understands the importance of restoring and expanding protections to this national monument, like so many others.
“That’s why, the time for action is now: President Biden, take action to restore the protections for Grand Staircase Escalante that were stripped away by the previous Administration.
“The reasons are clear: A fully protected Monument amplifies ecological resilience for the whole region as extinction threatens the flora and fauna of the southern Colorado Plateau. A restored Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument will mitigate global warming, provide a carbon sink, protect watersheds, springs and seeps, and prevent wholesale extinctions. Eighty-five percent of Utah’s biodiversity exists within the Monument, including 2,600 species of flora and over 660 species of bees.
“The Monument continues to create greater economic opportunity for the region. Long-term protection of the Monument’s landscapes and the health of its ecosystems are vital for the future of adjacent rural communities.
“Continuing fieldwork has revealed 3,500 paleontological sites and more than 20 new dinosaur species, with much of the Monument still unexplored. Archaeologists have documented tens of thousands of sites and artifacts within just 10 percent of the Monument and believe that as many as 20,000 additional cultural sites lie within the sections of the original Monument that lost protection in 2017.
“That’s why, this Earth Week is the time. The fully-restored GSENM will stand as a symbol of our solemn vow to posterity; that as a nation, we accept the responsibility of preserving for future generations our common inheritance—an unbroken land still rich with life and promise. Now is the time to renew that promise, and do it today.”
