scientists call for restoring the original boundaries and ... · scientists’ call for restoring...

Scientists’ Call for Restoring the Original Boundaries and Intent of Bears Ears National Monument 1

SCIENTISTS’ CALL FOR RESTORING THE ORIGINAL BOUNDARIES AND

INTENT OF BEARS EARS NATIONAL MONUMENT

04 DECEMBER 2017

Dear President Trump and Secretaries Zinke and Perdue:

We, the undersigned scientists, educators, and professional land and resource managers, write to

express deep concern and disappointment over your decision to reduce the size and integrity of

Bears Ears National Monument. We urge you to reverse this decision, restore the monument to

its original boundaries, and work with the Bears Ears Commission of Tribes – which was

established by presidential proclamation - and its many partners to develop a scientifically

grounded, culturally informed, and effective plan for long-term stewardship. Among the

signatories of this letter* are established scientists who have conducted original research in the

region, educators who have used Bears Ears as an outdoor classroom to explore the connections

between land, water, nature and culture, and professional resource managers who are tasked with

protecting this landscape while encouraging sound and sustainable land use. Others recognize the

scientific value of this unique landscape and wish to see its protection restored. Monument status

safeguards irreplaceable resources, while providing new and immeasurable opportunities for all

Americans to enjoy and participate in the stewardship of their public lands.

Bears Ears National Monument is of immense cultural value to all Americans. The five Tribes

working together to protect and defend Bears Ears (Navajo, Hopi, Ute, Ute Mountain Ute, and

Zuni) share a commitment to this place, and their offer to share their knowledge to ensure that all

Americans can enjoy this heritage is invaluable, generous, and visionary. This landscape is

worthy of protection for its scientific value alone, yet it is the dedicated stewardship of the Tribes

and Commission that makes this monument truly unique in the National Conservation Lands

system. Bears Ears presents the country with an opportunity to move forward and develop new

models for cooperation, respect, and success.

Multiple scientific assessments informed the Proclamation of December 28, 2016, and clearly

established that this landscape is worthy of permanent protection. Nowhere else are geology,

biology, human history, and culture so deeply intertwined, evident, and accessible as in Bears

Ears National Monument. Rather than reducing the size and integrity of the Monument, we

believe that the top priority of the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture

should be to support the development and implementation of a management plan that will ensure

sound stewardship of this landscape and its geological, biological, and cultural resources, in

perpetuity. We pledge to assist the Bears Ears Intertribal Commission and the appropriate federal

and state agencies in advancing this process.

* Those listed below sign as individuals; affiliations are listed for identification purposes only and do not

imply institutional support for the positions expressed here.


We offer the following specific suggestions:

• Restore the monument to its original boundaries, agreed to in the proclamation

• Support a scientifically rigorous and culturally informed process to develop a

management plan that reflects the goals articulated in the proclamation

• Respect the agreements previously reached with the five tribal governments that establish

the central importance of tribal leadership in planning and management

• Create new opportunities for citizens to learn about, appreciate, and enjoy this landscape

We, as representatives of the scientific community, are committed to working with state and

federal authorities, and with the Bears Ears Commission of Tribes, to ensure that management of

the monument will serve all Americans, while also establishing a new model for collaborative

management with Tribes, and an appropriate balance of conservation and sustainable land use.

We urge you to protect scientific values, educational opportunities, and unique natural and

cultural resources by restoring Bears Ears National Monument to its original extent, and we urge

you to honor tribal leaders by continuing to engage in a new, more inclusive model for public

land management.

We stand ready to work with you and with our many colleagues to safeguard this spectacular and

irreplaceable part of America's history for the future enjoyment and benefit of all Americans.

Respectfully,

Thomas D. Sisk, PhD, Correspondent

Olajos-Goslow Chair of Environmental Science and Policy

P.O. Box 5694

Northern Arizona University 86011-5694

[email protected]

Wendy J. Palen, PhD

Simon Fraser University

Laura F. Huenneke, PhD

Northern Arizona University

Carol L. Chambers, PhD


Jamey T. Basye, Student


Steven N. Handel, PhD

Rutgers University

Jonathan Patz, MD

University of Wisconsin-Madison

W. Chris Funk, PhD

Colorado State University

Volker Radeloff, PhD


Dawn Wright, PhD

Oregon State University & Esri

Frank Davis, PhD

Bren School of Environmental Science and

Management


David Lea, PhD

UCSB

Brett Dickson, PhD


Robert Ort, PhD


Peter Fulé, PhD


JoAnn Burkholder, PhD

North Carolina State University

R. Scott Anderson, PhD


Christine Albano, MS

Conservation Science Partners

Sasha Stortz, MS


Stephen Porder, PhD

Brown University

Thomas Swetnam, PhD

University of Arizona

Kristen Potter, PhD


A. Renee Sanders, MS


Karen Holl, PhD

University of California, Santa Cruz

John Leary, MS Candidate


Bray Beltrán, MS

Heart of the Rockies Initiative

Rebecca Best, PhD


Paul Beier, PhD


Nadine Laporte, PhD


Erika Zavaleta, PhD


Kai Chan, PhD

University of British Columbia

Aerin Jacob, PhD

Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation

Initiative

Jeff Fair, MS

Fairwinds Wildlife Services

Cole Webster, MS


Charlotte Wiman, MS


Paul R. Elsen, PhD

University of California, Berkeley

Caitlin McDonough MacKenzie, PhD

University of Maine

Laura Diez, MS Candidate


Stephanie Campbell, MS Candidate

University of Michigan

Jeff Jenness, MS


Audrey Kruse, MS

Bosque Ecosystem Monitoring Program


Ann Wong, MS Candidate


Ashley Smyth, PhD

University of Florida

Kenneth Clifton, PhD

Lewis & Clark College

Diane Pataki, PhD

University of Utah

Julian Olden, PhD

University of Washington

Martha Hahn, MS

Dept of Interior, 2016

Robyn Bath-Rosenfeld, MS Candidate


Thomas Fleischner, PhD

Natural History Institute

Dennis Knight, PhD

University of Wyoming

Katherine Seto, PhD

University of California Santa Cruz

Paulette Bierzychudek, PhD

Lewis & Clark College

Alexander A. Barton, MS Candidate

University of Montana

Kyle Doherty, MS


Kimberly Hall, PhD

Michigan State University

Kathleen Galvin, PhD


Nancy Johnson, PhD


Lindsay Wancour, MS Candidate


Jacqualine Grant, PhD

Southern Utah University

Rosanne Lockwood, MS


Julia Cole, PhD


Gretchen Daily, PhD

Stanford University

Brooke Osborne, PhD Candidate

Brown University

Brendan Kelly, PhD

University of Alaska Fairbanks

Holly Gibbs, PhD


Erika Nowak, PhD

Consultant/Northern Arizona University

Stacy Philpott, PhD


Bruce Lyon, PhD


Martha Sample, MS


David Mildrexler, PhD

Eastern Oregon Legacy Lands Fund

Bri Tiffany, MS Candidate



Matthew Loeser, PhD

Yakima Valley College

Patrick Shin, MS Candidate


Shawn Newell, MS

The Newell Collaborative

Charles Mogen, MS Candidate


Robert Long, PhD

Woodland Park Zoo

Jessica Hellmann, PhD

University of Minnesota

Brian Helmuth, PhD

Northeastern University

Sara Kuebbing, PhD

Yale University

Patricia Zaradic, PhD

Harcum College

Anne Giblin, PhD

Marine Biological Laboratory

KC Cushman, PhD Candidate

Brown University

Amanda Stanley, PhD

COMPASS

Daniel Perret, PhD Student

Brown University

Peter Friederici, MS


Christine Hawkes, PhD

University of Texas at Austin

Molly McDevitt, MS


Bret Pasch, PhD


Paige Novak, PhD

University of Minnesota

Lutgarde Raskin, PhD


Mariah Meek, PhD


Sara Souther, PhD


Beverly Law, PhD

Oregon State University

Rashid Sumaila, PhD

The University of British Columbia

Paty Romero-Lankao, PhD

National Center for Atmospheric Research

Clare Aslan, PhD


Susan Williams, PhD

University of California-Davis

Patricia A. Conrad, PhD

University of California, Davis

Ho Yi Wan, PhD Candidate


Gregory Aplet, PhD

The Wilderness Society, Denver

Melissa Mark, PhD



Yeon-Su Kim, PhD


Grossman Aryeh, PhD

Midwestern University

John Wiens, PhD


Daniel Moen, PhD

Oklahoma State University

Christopher Noto, PhD

University of Wisconsin-Parkside

Dave Carlile, MS

AK Dept. Fish & Game

Jonathan Armstrong, PhD

Oregon State University

Spencer Plumb, PhD

University of Idaho

Ramona Walls, PhD

CyVerse, University of Arizona

Seth White, PhD

Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish

Commission

Oscar Pineda, PhD

University of Chicago

Joann Jeplawy, MS Candidate


Allison Snow, PhD

Ohio State University

Brett Seymoure, PhD


Sergio Avila, MS

Sierra Club Outdoors

Megan Adams, PhD Candidate

University of Victoria, Raincoast

Conservation Foundation

Jessie Knowlton, PhD

Wheaton College, MA

Paul Bourdeau, PhD

Humboldt State University

Miranda Gray, MS


Allison Weis, PhD

University of Utah

Anita Antoninka, PhD

Northern Arizona Univeristy

Robyn Burnham, PhD


Peter Makovicky, PhD

Field Museum of Natural History

Hillary Cooper, PhD Candidate


Bailey Lydia, MS Student


Tara Martin, PhD


Marissa Hirst, PhD

ADM Associates

Ben Donatelle, MS

George Koch, PhD


Celia Symons, PhD



Luz de Wit, MS


Daniel Brumbaugh, PhD


Nikolas Kaplanis, PhD Student


Jason Nez, BS

Independent

Mike Lommler, PhD Student


Emily Yurcich, MS Student


Logan Swartz, PhD Student


Justin Cummings, PhD


Nicholas Sullens, BA

National Park Service

Ellen Willis-Norton, PhD Student


Neve Baker, PhD Student


Patrick Robinson, PhD

UC Santa Cruz

Monica Moritsch, MA, PhD Student


William Hartmann, PhD

Planetary Science Institute

Alexis Morgan, MA, PhD Student


Joe Shannon, PhD


Stephanie Green, PhD

Stanford University

N. LeRoy Poff, PhD


David Secord, PhD

University of Washington

Jodi Brandt, PhD

Boise State University

Keryn Gedan, PhD

George Washington University

Christopher Gilbert, PhD

Hunter College, CUNY

Lambert Max, MS

Yale University

Ryan Valdez, PhD

National Parks Conservation Association

Christa Mulder, PhD


Priscilla Titus, BS

Freelance

Amanda Kuenzi, MS

Mountain Studies Institute

Abigail Cahill, PhD

Albion College

Marshall McMunn, PhD Candidate

University of California - Davis

Joy Winbourne, PhD

Brown University


Melissa May, MS

San Juan Soil & Water Conservation District

Scott Roberts, MS


Julia Hanson, BS

SME Environmental, Inc.

Karl Jarvis, PhD


Thomas Starkey, BS

Wayne County Soil & Water Conservation

District

Matthew Millar, MS

Flagstaff Watershed Protectio Project

Matthew Bowker, PhD


William Shaw, PhD


Pauline Blaimont, MA, PhD Student


David Hooper, PhD

Western Washington University

Betsy Steele, MS

Long Marine Lab, UC Santa Cruz

Robin Naidoo, PhD


Jewell Lund, BS

University of Utah

Keeler Durban, MS

University of Utah

Paul Ehrlich, PhD

Stanford University

Britte Kirsch, BA Marine Biology

Samuel Wells, PhD


Laurel Sebastian, BA


Fredric Govedich, PhD


William Heyborne, PhD


Bonnie Bain, PhD


Kevin Armitage, PhD

Miami Univeristy of Ohio

Daniel Janzen, PhD

University of Pennsylvania

Robert Ricklefs, PhD

University of Missouri-St. Louis

Erik Nielsen, PhD


Tony Chang, PhD


Brent Hughes, PhD

Duke University

Raymond Soto, PhD

University of Utah

Susan McConnell, PhD

Stanford University

Ross McCauley, PhD

Fort Lewis College

Galena Gordon, MS

Glendale Community College


Harold Mooney, PhD

Stanford Universtiy

Elizabeth Hadly, PhD

Stanford University

Justin Suraci, PhD


Lawrence Goulder, PhD

Stanford University

May Roberts, MS


Jeffrey Su, Ph.D

Philip Hastings, PhD

University of California San Diego

Stefan Sommer, PhD


Larry Crowder, PhD

Stanford University

Warren Scott, MS

University of Utah

Simon Levin, PhD

Princeton University

Ann Clark, MA

Gregory Anderson, PhD

Univ of Connecticut

Kathleen Hilimire, PhD

Fort Lewis College

Peter Ray, PhD

Stanford University

Carl Schlichting, PhD

University of Connecticut

Megan Daubert, BS

Stewart Willason, PhD

Utah Valley University

Nick Haddad, PhD


Charles Janson, PhD

The University of Montana

Jesse Tune, PhD

Fort Lewis College

Steven Sesnie, PhD


Gary Tabor, VMD

Center for Large Landscape Conservation

Karole Armitage

The Armitage Foundation, Ltd

Scott Woolbright, PhD

University of Arkansas at Little Rock

Sarah Apple, BS

University of Utah

John Harte, PhD

UC Berkeley

Yiwei Wang, PhD

San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory

Benjamin Sikes, PhD

University of Kansas

Erin Kuprewicz, PhD


Allan Seid, MD

Stanford Medical School

Barclay Kamb, JD

Cooley LLP


Sarah Kienle, MS


Alicyn Gitlin, MS Biology

Sierra Club Grand Canyon Chapter

Tallie Casucci, MLIS

University of Utah

Daniel Press, PhD


Eric Garcia, MS


Abby Pulsipher, PhD

GlycoMira Therapeutics

Tiffany Sprague, MS

Michael Lucid, MS

Idaho Department of Fish and Game

Kyle Christie, MS

University of California Davis

Alice Christie, PhD

Arizona State University

Anthony Barnosky, PhD

JRBP, Stanford University

Emily Dean, PhD


Eric Johnson, MS

University of Utah

Jonathan Payne, PhD

Stanford University

Christopher Anderson, PhD Candidate

Stanford University

Kurt Schwenk, PhD


Ryan Peek, PhD Candidate


Caitlin Peterson, MS


Noelle Patterson, MS student


Jan Ng, PhD Candidate


Doug Banda, PhD Candidate


Robert Bagchi, PhD


John Hessel, PhD

Richard Flagle, MA

Arizona State University

Kimiora Ward, MS


Emily Johnson, MS


Katherine Dynarski, PhD Candidate


Sarah Gaffney, MS Candidate


Susan Alexander, PhD

California State University Monterey Bay

Angie Moline, PhD


Philip Brick, PhD

Whitman College

Sarah Knutie, PhD



Bron Taylor, PhD


Syndonia Bret-Harte, PhD


Stephen Trumbo, PhD


Margaret Sharp, PhD

Stanford University

Mark Hixon, PhD

University of Hawaii

Malin Pinsky, PhD

Rutgers University

Katie Stumpf, PhD

Georgia College

Philip Arnold, PhD

Syracuse University

Jennifer MacDougall, MEd

Jonathan Puritz, PhD

University of Rhode Island

Collin Gross, PhD Student


Stacy Johnson, BS

Bureau of Land Management

Daniel Luna, PhD

University of California, Santa Barbara

Zachary Griebenow, BS


Sushma Reddy, PhD

Loyola University Chicago

Carla Sette, PhD candidate


Jana U’Ren, PhD


Rebecca Mau, MS


Johnny Campbell, MS Student


Cynthia Dott, PhD

Fort Lewis College, Colorado

David Wilcove, PhD

Princeton University

Heather Gitlin, PhD

Gary Gianniny, PhD

Fort Lewis College

Robin Wright, PhD


Sophie Preckler-Quisquater, PhD Student


Jennifer Cherrier, PhD

Brooklyn College-CUNY

J. Judson Wynne, PhD


John R. Strohl, MS Candidate

Ohio University

Christopher Adlam, PhD Student


Mary Clapp, PhD Student


David Wagner, PhD


Madison Sheffield, MPH



Alexus Roberts, PhD Student


Jeremy May, BS, Physics


Shannon Joslin, PhD Student

Susan Cope, MFA

Jill Oberski, BA, Biology


Christine Morgan, PhD

David Morgan, MS

Mark Felice, PhD Candidate


Barry R. Noon, PhD


Peter H. Raven, PhD

Missouri Botanical Garden

Rodolfo Dirzo, PhD

Stanford University

George Woodwell, PhD

Woods Hole Research Center

scientists call for restoring the original boundaries and ... · scientists’ call for restoring...

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