The Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service is seeking input for Utah's Bears Ears National Monument.
BLM is publishing a Notice of Intent Aug. 30 to prepare a resource management plan for the area, as well as an associated environmental impact statement, according to a release. Both the BLM and the Forest Service are seeking public comments to help decide on a new land use plan for the monument, which will act in accordance with the values laid out in Presidential Proclamation 10285, according to an Aug. 25 BLM news release.
“This new management planning process provides an opportunity to learn from our past planning efforts and ensure the 1.36 million-acres of public lands in the monument receive the proper protections,” BLM Utah State Director Greg Sheehan said in the release. “The new presidential proclamation provides a framework for managing the monument, but the public can help us determine the best way to implement it. Input at this stage will help inform the issues considered during the planning process and the decisions made in the final management plan.”
The news release reported commented can be mailed to Bears Ears National Monument Planning, 365 North Main, Monticello, UT 84535, or submitted online at the BLM National NEPA Register.
According to USA Today, the state of Utah, as well as two Republican-led counties, are suing the Biden administration over its plan to restore national monuments of historical significance to Native Americans following their downsizing during the Trump administration.
The lawsuit alleges "President Joe Biden's action violates a century-old law that allows presidents to protect sites considered historically, geographically or culturally important and outlines the rules governing when they can do so," USA Today reported.
