IMPORTANT UPDATE: Defending our Public Lands

Written By Neal Safran
 

Mesquite trees in Hiko Spring Canyon. Photograph by Alan O’Neill.

 

Dear friends of Avi Kwa Ame National Monument,

Our protected public lands exist for the public good, and for us, the public. While protections for landscapes such as national monuments are supposed to be permanent, today we must inform you of some recent developments that threaten all of our nation’s protected lands, including Avi Kwa Ame National Monument.

Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum issued a series of secretarial orders that threaten to scrap existing permanent land protections and conservation measures. Secretary Burgum’s orders direct Department of the Interior staff to offer up more public land for oil and gas leasing and potentially “revise” protections of national monument lands, acting in service of the President’s “energy dominance” executive orders. This call to review monuments order applies to the hundreds of monuments managed by the Department of the Interior (including Avi Kwa Ame), and orders an initial review of all oil, gas and mining assets on these protected lands to be finished in only 15 days - by February 18, and with no public comment process. 

Roughly 85% of the BLM’s (Bureau of Land Management) federal public lands are already available for energy production. We, the people of America, have worked within our communities, and through our local, state and national government processes to create permanent protections for the other 15% of our public landscapes. These lands are protected because of their historical, cultural, ecological and recreational value, and the boundaries were carefully chosen to best protect their integrity for future generations.

National monuments, whether designated by Congress or a President via the Antiquities Act, are legally permanent. Any review of the commercial assets of these landscapes is irrelevant, and any action taken to revise their boundaries or undo their protections is illegal. These orders also willfully ignore the rural residents and communities whose personal and local incomes rely on these lands being protected from privatization. Outdoor recreation on BLM lands contributes more than $11 billion to the economy and substantial income to individuals, small and large businesses, and rural communities through hunting, fishing, camping, climbing, riding off-highway vehicles, and many other activities.

Friends of Avi Kwa Ame’s mission is to help ensure the protection of the ecological, cultural, historic and recreational resources of Avi Kwa Ame National Monument, and to this end, we are  joining Friends organizations around the country to lead our communities in speaking out for our beloved and valued public landscapes.  Please join us in this effort. When we stand up together, we are powerful.

Sincerely,

Ron Safran
Board President
Friends of Avi Kwa Ame National Monument

What is Friends of Avi Kwa Ame currently doing to help this situation?

  1. We have met and will continue to meet with our Nevada congressional representatives and staff to support their voices in protecting these public lands.

  2. We worked with the Monuments for All coalition to include a statement in their collective response to reporters about this threat to monument protections. This was picked up as part of several news stories on the subject.

  3. We are crafting Op Ep articles for release to local and national press.

  4. We have signed onto several collective letters opposing these orders.

  5. We have met with our large group of monument advisors and collaborating organizations to spread the word about what is happening.

  6. We are reaching out to you, our Avi Kwa Ame community to keep everyone informed and provide action items to help.

Action Items: How can you help right now?

  1. Add your voice to this “public comment” page to be sent to Congress and the current administration.

  2. On Friday, February 14th, show elected officials, your friends and networks, and your social media followers how much #NVLovesPublicLands. More on this soon!

  3. Support Friends organizations through donations and volunteering. Federal grants and funding are currently on hold, federal employees are being asked to resign, and federal programs are stalled. Our federal partners that do so much to keep our protected public spaces operational are struggling to keep up, and our Friends groups can help keep things going. This means we have more work to do than ever, and a lot less help to do it.

  4. Share this info with friends and family who love our protected national landscapes, stay informed on this issue and watch for further information from us! Things are moving fast, and we’re developing additional ways to make our collective voices heard.

Neal Safran