Interior Secretary Makes Plans to Manage National Monuments (FReep this !!!)

To: National Desk
Contact: Mark Pfeifle or John Wright, 202-208-6416, both of the Department of the Interior

WASHINGTON, April 24 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton announced today her intention to develop plans managing the national monuments established under the department's jurisdiction in 2000 and 2001.

"It's important that we begin the process of developing plans for managing these national treasures," Norton said. "While I share concerns about the way in which these monuments were created, it's our job now to see that we develop land use plans in an open, inclusive and comprehensive way." Designations of certain monuments -- most of which are located in the American west -- had occurred over the objections of some local residents.

In a letter to elected officials in states containing one or more of the 17 national monuments in question, the Secretary promoted the land use planning process as an illustration of her management philosophy. According to Norton, the planning for the future management of these monuments will be a model of "what I call the Four C's: Consultation, Cooperation, and Communication, all in the service of Conservation. The department is committed to management and protection of the monuments consistent with the Four C's, our interim management guidance, and the purposes established in the proclamations."

Norton also called on the relevant agencies under her jurisdiction to conduct the planning process with maximum input from local communities. "I am challenging the Bureau of Land Management and the National Park Service to make the planning process a model of how to involve the people who live and work closest to these monuments," she said.

BLM Director Kathleen Clarke stated that the BLM will take this opportunity to look at expanded opportunities for direct citizen participation on monument planning and stewardship. "Our door is open," Clarke said. "If the planning and management process for these monuments is to be effective, we must make sure it is citizen centered. We must ensure that local communities have a true stake in these national monuments to guarantee that generations of future Americans can enjoy them too."

Notices published today in the Federal Register formally start the planning at many monuments and provide for a minimum 60-day formal scoping period to identify issues to consider and analyze regarding management at each monument. These notices are available online at http://www.nara.gov/fedreg .

More information about these national monuments is available on the web at http://www.blm.gov

The BLM, and agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior, manages 262 million surface acres, located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska. These lands, once remote, now provide the growing communities of the west with open space that gives the region much of its character. The Bureau, which has a budget of $1.8 billion and a workforce of 10,000 employees, also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM's "multiple use" mission is to sustain the health, diversity and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The BLM accomplishes this by managing for such resources as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, and energy and mineral development that helps meet the nation's energy needs, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural and other resources on the public lands.
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The guiding principle of the Department of the Interior is what I call the Four C's: Consultation, Cooperation, and Communication, all in the service of Conservation. The Department is committed to management and protection of the monuments consistent with the Four C's, our interim management guidance, and the purposes established in the proclamations.

After reviewing all of the comments on each monument, I believe most of the issues can be addressed through the management planning process, which will include comprehensive public input. I have directed the managing agencies to maintain current uses during the interim management period, except to the extent restricted by the proclamations and other applicable law or regulation, and have strongly encouraged them to use creative, non-traditional management options. I have also directed these agencies to utilize this opportunity to include you and your constituents at the outset of the planning process for the monuments.

Specifically, I am encouraging consideration of the following types of management approaches to the extent they are consistent with the proclamations, and other applicable laws:

-- Expanded opportunities for direct citizen participation in monument planning and stewardship management through citizen advisory councils, such as Resource Advisory Councils or other forms of local collaborative groups.

-- Land exchanges as a way of resolving access and resource protection problems with state lands, mineral and grazing interests, and wildlife habitat

-- Conservation and other creative easements that help to protect value in the monuments while respecting private property interests

-- Greater reliance on local governments, volunteer groups, and businesses to provide existing and new monument services through contracts and agreements

-- Partnership arrangements for management of ongoing traditional activities, such as grazing, recreation and other uses authorized by the monument proclamation

-- A transportation plan that is developed with input from those who use the roads, trails and waterways in the area

Your involvement in assisting the Department of the Interior to develop the appropriate management strategy is invaluable. We welcome your comments and look forward to continuing to work with you.

The Department of the Interior is about to decide how our national monument lands may be used, and what kinds of recreation, camping, hiking, hunting, fishing, 4-wheeling, etc., will be allowed or banned. These are our lands, and it's up to us to see that they remain open for recreational uses.

WE MUST FREEP THESE BUREUCRATS WITH OUR COMMENTS AND BE HEARD !!! Gail Norton is open-minded on the issue, and needs to be deluged with mail, calls, emails, faxes, telegrams, etc., DEMANDING that our national monuments are available for the use of the people.

You can email the BLM directly at WOComment@blm.gov and/or call them at (202) 452-5030.

WE MUST ALSO FREEP OUR ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES ON THIS ISSUE !!! Call your congressvermin and make sure they know your views on national monument land-use regs, and make sure your friends do the same.

This is an opportunity that cannot be lost. Once we have these regs set in stone, changing them will be an uphill battle. You can be sure the Sierra Club and their ilk will be mobilizing their networks to push their agenda. Let's get out ahead of the curve on this one!

No need to go to the .pdf document, here it is:

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Friends of the Earth* National Wildlife Federation* Sierra Club* The Wilderness Society* U.S. Public Interest Research Group

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Sabrina Williams 202-429-8441

CONSERVATION COMMUNITY WANTS NATIONAL MONUMENTS PROTECTED FROM SPECIAL INTERESTS

More on this topic: http://www.wilderness.org/standbylands/monuments_news.htm

(April 24, 2002-Washington, D.C.) Word that the Interior Department is about to go forward with development of long-overdue management plans for eleven of the Nation's newest national monuments is being greeted with cautious optimism by leading conservation groups. The groups warn that protecting these natural gems will require a process that is both comprehensive and inclusive in order to ultimately reverse politically motivated changes in interim management guidelines that have led to increased oil and gas drilling, mining and use of dirt-bikes and off-road vehicles in the nvironmentally-sensitive national monument areas.

"A process with real public input will undoubtedly put an end to the roll-backs that are already threatening natural, scientific and historic values that made these places worthy of national monuments status," said National Wildlife Federation President Mark Van Putten. "The administration may want to drill and mine every piece of public land, but as they learned from the Arctic debate, most Americans want our natural treasures protected."

The Department of Interior's (DOI) announcement was rolled-out today at the Western Governors Conference. As part of the roll-out, DOI also issued a letter to the Western Governors outlining their goals for the planning process and programs they would like to see come out of that process.

“Although the ball is finally rolling on national monument management, we fear it might be rolling in the wrong direction,” said Sierra Club Executive Director Carl Pope. “It is important that Secretary Norton listen to the American people who want to protect the biological, cultural, historic and spiritual values that each national monument honors. Americans appreciate the value of national monuments as special places for our families and future generations to enjoy, not to strip mine or punch holes in at the behest of oil companies, political supporters and other narrow interests”.

Conservationists argue that many of the plans outlined in Norton's letter would give away management of the monuments to special interests leading to even more oil and gas drilling, off-road vehicle use and other development. They point to the Administration's use of terms like “Creative Non-traditional management,” Partnership Arrangements,” and others as political double talk designed to disguise their efforts to undermine the monuments.

"The Bush Administration has been relentless in serving the interests of their corporate polluting friends over the American public and our environment," said Brent Blackwelder President Friends of the Earth. "Now they're preparing to hand over our national monuments for exploitation and destruction by the oil, gas, mining and off-road vehicle industries."

"The Bush administration has chipped away at protections for our national monuments since they took office; let's hope that the planning process doesn't mark the beginning of a full-fledged assault on these national treasures," said Gene Karpinski, Executive Director of the U.S. Public Interest Research Group. "We hope the Bush administration understands that last weeks Arctic vote means the American public supports protections for all special places, including our national monuments."

“Time and time again the American people have said they want to see our national monuments protected,” said William H. Meadows, president of The Wilderness Society.

“We fear that the current plans outlined by the Administration will cut people out of the process and fail to protect these special places. This should be an open and inclusive public process that includes national, regional and local people.”

Last month conservationists presented Secretary Norton with 30,000 comment cards from Americans across the country expressing their desire for strong protection of their national monuments. To achieve this conservationists have called on the Administration to:

_ Ensure there is 120-day scoping period so that the public has plenty of time and opportunities to gain an understanding of the issues, develop ideas about management and voice comments and concerns for the record.

_ Broaden the scope of public participation by holding public meetings statewide to include multiple urban areas.

_ Provide adequate funding for the implementation of management plans.

_ Provide a schedule for the scoping and planning process for each monument.

A comprehensive process will ultimately keep these unique landscapes free from oil and gas drilling, mining, off-road vehicles, and will uphold the existing boundaries of each monument as designated.

Even with overwhelming public support, several of America's newest national monuments still face threats, including seismic thumper trucks in the Canyon of the Ancients National Monument in Colorado and legislative attempts to reduce the boundaries of the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument in Montana.

Meadows noted that the national monuments are quite popular with the public. “More than 50 million Americans visit our national monuments every year to enjoy their wild and rugged landscapes, and we hope they can do so for years to come.”

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