As expected, Trump’s visit to Salt Lake City today resulted in the President announcing that Bears Ears National Monument will be slashed by more than 80 percent. Grand Staircase National Monument also came under fire, as Trump plans to almost halve its size.

Patagonia President and CEO Rose Marcario’s official statement was: “Americans have overwhelmingly spoken out against the Trump Administration’s unprecedented attempt to shut down our national monuments. The Administration’s unlawful actions betray our shared responsibility to protect iconic places for future generations and represent the largest elimination of protected land in American history. We’ve fought to protect these places since we were founded and now we’ll continue that fight in the courts.”

In addition, Outdoor Industry Association Executive Director Amy Roberts immediately penned a letter responding to the announcement.

The full text of Roberts’ statement is below.

Hello,

President Trump traveled to Salt Lake City, Utah today and announced reduction and fracturing of Bears Ears National Monument by more than 80 percent, from 1.35 million acres to around 220,000 acres, and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument by roughly 45 percent, from nearly 1.9 million acres to just over 1 million acres. In total, more than two million acres of public lands will lose protection, the largest attack on public lands in American history.

Let your elected officials know that you oppose this decision.

  • Write a letter to your Senators and Representatives urging them to continue to protect America’s public lands
  • Tweet or call your elected officials, letting them know you oppose this decision
  • Join us at the 2018 OIA Capitol Summit
  • Stay informed through the OIA Advocacy Center

    Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) opposes this action and released the following statement:
    “Outdoor Industry Association and the outdoor industry view the announcement by President Trump as detrimental to the $887 billion outdoor recreation economy and the 7.6 million American jobs it supports. This decision is part of a long pattern of attacks against public lands and will harm hundreds of local Utah communities and businesses, will stifle millions of dollars in annual economic activity and threatens thousands of jobs in the region.

    “Outdoor Industry Association will continue to educate the industry and all Americans about President Trump’s assault on our industry and our nation’s public lands, and we will continue to support the members of Congress who defend both and who understand the importance of the outdoor recreation economy to local communities.”
      
    This decision ignores the support of monuments by the American people and the outdoor industry and includes the following facts:
  • Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument has a clearly demonstrable and proven recreation economy that developed because of its national monument status.
  • More than 360 executives who lead outdoor recreation companies which create jobs in communities across America, including in rural communities that President Trump promised to support during his campaign, oppose this action.
  • Over 3 million Americans wrote the administration in support of the preservation of America’s public lands.

    Please let your representatives in Congress know what you think of the president’s decision.
    Thank you for everything you do to help protect our public lands,
    Amy Roberts

Photo courtesy OIA