The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) unveiled its proposed management plan for the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in southern Utah, which will prioritize conservation. The plan to govern the management of nearly 1.87 million acres of public lands within the monument has been in the works for two years.
“This is the culmination of a process involving numerous Tribes, state and local agencies, and stakeholders that will benefit many generations to come,” said BLM Utah State Director Greg Sheehan.
The monument was restored to its original size in October 2021 by President Joe Biden after former President Donald Trump reduced the monument’s size by about half in 2017.
Plan details
The 2024 Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Proposed Resource Management Plan reinstates the original boundaries and management conditions of the monument while emphasizing the protection of monument objects and scientific research, BLM said.
The plan includes five alternatives: four action alternatives and one no-action alternative (Alternative A).
The preferred alternative (Alternative C) would split the monument into four management zones, which BLM said would “selectively allow for discretionary uses in appropriate settings.”
The management zones would be similar to those proposed under the 2000 plan and comprise the front country, passage, outback and primitive zones.
The front country zone would allow day-use and overnight opportunities for visitors and there would be an emphasis on educating visitors about the monument. The passage area would be the secondary area for visitors and provide less developed opportunities. The outback zone would limit development across 558,700 acres but allow motorized vehicles on designated roads. The primitive zone would provide an “undeveloped, primitive, and self-directed visitor experience without motorized or mechanized recreational access” on more than 1.2 million acres.
Under the preferred alternative, all allotments that are not under permit would be made unavailable for livestock grazing. Allocated animal unit months would be the total permitted use of available allotments. Land health assessments would be required within departed watersheds and changes in grazing management would be made according to the assessments.
No new structural range improvements would be permitted unless a current land health assessment was completed. BLM would also prohibit nonstructural range improvements with a primary focus of increasing livestock forage.
For vegetation management, the front country, passage and outback areas would focus on proactive management, while the primitive area would focus on natural management. The alternative would also designate two areas of critical concern.
Alternative B emphasizes flexibility in planning-level direction to maximize the potential for actions that may be compatible with the protection of monument objects.
Alternative D would minimize active management and limit discretionary uses. Land use allocations would curtail discretionary uses such as recreation, livestock grazing, rights-of-ways and special activities under recreation permits. The alternative would also limit management actions such as vegetation management to emphasize natural conditions.
BLM added another alternative, Alternative E, following public input after the draft management plan’s release. Alternative E is based on Alternative C and components from the other alternatives. Under this alternative, the management areas would serve primarily as a tool for managing visitation and allowable uses.
A 60-day review by Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R) began on Aug. 30 and a protest period will end Sept. 30.
Reactions
The Public Lands Council (PLC) has criticized the Biden administration for restoring the monument to its original size, saying the Biden administration chose to make designations rather than collaborate with local stakeholders.
“By ignoring efforts to reach a constructive, permanent solution, the administration has prolonged the back-and-forth political football that occurs with national monument boundaries during each change of administration,” PLC said when the designation was first announced.
The group said expanding the monument to 1.87 million acres directly conflicts with the Antiquities Act’s direction to protect the smallest area compatible.
Other conservation and environmental groups applauded the new plan.
“Moving forward, we expect that the monument will once again be managed to protect what makes it like nowhere else—remarkable paleontological discoveries and cultural sites, jaw dropping scenery, and outstanding intact and diverse natural ecosystems,” said Kya Marienfeld, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance attorney.
The Conservation Lands Foundation said the plan appears to be a positive step toward a more conservation-oriented approach. “An updated Resource Management Plan that includes the acreage restored by President Biden will help ensure the agency can continue to protect the monument’s many natural, cultural and historic values,” said Ben Katz of the Conservation Lands Foundation. — Anna Miller, WLJ managing editor
