Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah (page 4 of 4)

The Creation of GSENM: A Case Study in the Politics of Land Use

Hiker on Metate Arch, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Photo © 1999 Ray Wheeler.

In many ways, the Grand Staircase-Escalante region is representative of the Colorado Plateau as a whole: a land at once fragile and resilient, valued by many for its economic potential in extractive industries, and by others as a place to be protected and enjoyed for its natural and aesthetic values.

President Clinton's 1996 proclamation of this region as a national monument brought the contentious debate over Western wilderness to the forefront of the American agenda. In addition to the conflict between the pro-development and pro-environment camps, this region's historical politics have also been affected by a long-standing Western tradition of resistance to federal land control and interference. Since the late 19th century exodus of Mormons to the West and the struggle for Utah's statehood, tensions have run high between locals and the federal government. President Clinton's actions in September of 1996 helped draw the line between those for and those against protection of public lands, and the natural and cultural resources which they contain.

Aerial view of "entrenched meanders" in the Escalante River Canyon. Photo © 1999 Ray Wheeler

The furor of controversy surrounding the monument's creation was fueled by the fact that the drafting of the proclamation was not disclosed to state and local governing officials and the public at large. No one outside of a secret Department of Interior counsel, including even the governor of Utah, was informed of the impending action until it was reported in several newspapers just days before the public announcement. This action was entirely legal, since the monument was created under the Antiquities Act of 1906, which unlike other environmental laws, does not require an Environmental Impact Statement or other public disclosure.

On September 18 1996, at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, President Clinton, speaking to a large group of invited guests, officially announced the creation of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. The following is an excerpt from his speech:

"On this site, on this remarkable site, God's handiwork is everywhere in the natural beauty of the Escalante Canyons and in the Kaiparowits Plateau, in the rock formations that show layer by layer billions of years of geology, in the fossil record of dinosaurs and other prehistoric life, in the remains of ancient American civilizations like the Anasazi Indians. Though the United States has changed and Utah has grown, prospered and diversified, the land in the Utah monument remains much as it did when Mormon pioneers made their way to the Red Canyons in the high desert in the late 1800s. Its uniquely American landscape is now one of the most isolated places in the lower 48 states. In protecting it, we live up to our obligation to preserve our natural heritage. We are saying very simply, our parents and grandparents saved the Grand Canyon for us; today, we will save the grand Escalante Canyons and the Kaiparowits Plateaus of Utah for our children."

Opponents of the designation were angered by the lack of public hearings and discussions regarding the monument's creation; even many of those supporting the monument felt that the secretive manner in which the proclamation was handled was unfair. Utah's Governor Leavitt, the state's congressional delegation and others strenuously objected to the large monument, calling it "foul" and a "land grab." 

One of the most contentious aspects of the controversy centered around a number of parcels of Utah state lands which had been set aside for the benefit of Utah's school children when Utah was granted statehood. These state-owned lands consist of isolated 640-acre sections scattered within the monument, and totaling 180,000 acres. Many of those who disputed the monument, particularly the Utah Public Education Coalition, claimed that the monument was created at the expense of Utah's school children, who would now lose out on educational monies generated by the development of mineral resources found on the school lands. President Clinton directly addressed this issue in his monument proclamation speech:

"In the past these scattered school lands have never generated significant revenues for the Utah school trust...I have directed Secretary Babbitt to consult with Governor Leavitt, Congressman Orton, Senators Bennett and Hatch to form an exchange working group to respond promptly to all exchange requests and other issues submitted by the state and to resolve reasonable differences in valuation in favor of the school trust."

In October, 1998, the Utah Schools and Lands Exchange Act was passed, legislating the exchange of all State school trust lands within the monument for similarly valued lands elsewhere. Despite the careful drawing of the monument's borders to exclude as much private land as possible, some private landholdings (9,000 acres) also became included within the monument's boundaries. Although these landowners retain all existing rights to their property, they have the option to pursue land exchanges with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

Waterpocket with flowering rabbitbrush, Grand Staircase NM. Photo © 1999 Ray Wheeler

Clinton's proclamation gave a general outline describing how the monument was to be managed by the BLM, but also decreed a three-year public study process in order to determine the specifics of management policies. According to the proclamation, existing Federal or State uses, including hunting, camping, grazing, and recreation would continue in a manner decided by the three-year planning process. New mining leases and claims were prohibited. The proclamation makes not claims on State water rights on monument lands, beyond what is needed for the management of the monument.

The Proposed Management Plan and Final Environmental Impact Statement was released in July, 1999. During the three-year process leading to the creation of this document,  the state of Utah and seven Native American tribes were consulted, and comments from the general public were accepted and addressed. The following summarizes some of the management policies adopted for the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, as stated in the Proposed Management Plan and Final EIS:

• Protection of the historic, biological, geological, paleontological, and archaeological resources found within the monument, in a manner that will preserve the environmental quality while allowing multiple uses. To this end, the monument's remote and undeveloped frontier character will be conserved.

• Continuation of valid existing rights, including hunting, fishing and grazing. These uses will be closely monitored and managed so as to protect monument resources.

• While recreation and interpretation will be accommodated, developed sites for these purposes will be limited to small areas of the monument and designed so as to promote the understanding and protection of monument resources. Commercial uses, large groups, and overall visitor numbers will be limited when necessary to prevent impacts.

• As the monument provides excellent research opportunities, particularly involving ecological and climatic change over time, scientific study will be encouraged.

• The monument staff will assist local communities with necessary infrastructure development, such as utility rights-of-way and communication technology. In addition, the monument staff will continue to work with the local communities, Federal and State interests, Native Americans, and the general public in order to refine the monument's management policies.

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--Researched and written by Shannon Kelly

Allison, M.L. 1998. The geography and geology. Pp. 3-12 In: Keiter, R. B., George, S.B., and Walker, J., editors. Visions of the Grand Staircase-Escalante:  Examining Utah's newest National Monument. Utah Museum of Natural History and Wallace Stegener Center, Salt Lake City, UT

Becker, R. 1998. Defining a cultural context. Pp. 53-60 In: Keiter, R. B., George, S.B., and Walker, J., editors. Visions of the Grand Staircase-Escalante:  Examining Utah's newest National Monument. Utah Museum of Natural History and Wallace Stegener Center, Salt Lake City, UT

Belnap, J. 1998. The biota and ecology. Pp. 21-30 In: Keiter, R. B., George, S.B., and Walker, J., editors. Visions of the Grand Staircase-Escalante:  Examining Utah's newest National Monument. Utah Museum of Natural History and Wallace Stegener Center, Salt Lake City, UT

Bishop, M.G. 1996. The paper power plant: Utah's Kaiparowits's Project and the politics of environmentalism. Journal of the West 35: 26-35.

Blattenberger, G. and D. Kiefer. 1998. The economy of the rural west and the new monument. Pp. 61-72 In: Keiter, R. B., George, S.B., and Walker, J., editors. Visions of the Grand Staircase-Escalante:  Examining Utah's newest National Monument. Utah Museum of Natural History and Wallace Stegener Center, Salt Lake City, UT

Bureau of Land Management. 1999. Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument Official Web Pages. http://www.ut.blm.gov.monument/   01/08/99.

Groene, S. 1998. Protecting environmental values. Pp. 127-132 In: Keiter, R. B., George, S.B., and Walker, J., editors. Visions of the Grand Staircase-Escalante:  Examining Utah's newest National Monument. Utah Museum of Natural History and Wallace Stegener Center, Salt Lake City, UT

May, D.L. 1998. A human history. Pp. 43-52 In: Keiter, R. B., George, S.B., and Walker, J., editors. Visions of the Grand Staircase-Escalante:  Examining Utah's newest National Monument. Utah Museum of Natural History and Wallace Stegener Center, Salt Lake City, UT

Metcalfe, D. 1998. An archaeological assessment. Pp. 31-42 In: Keiter, R. B., George, S.B., and Walker, J., editors. Visions of the Grand Staircase-Escalante:  Examining Utah's newest National Monument. Utah Museum of Natural History and Wallace Stegener Center, Salt Lake City, UT

U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management.  1999. Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Proposed Management Plan: Final Environmental Impact Statement. Cedar City, UT. 

United States Congress, House Committee on Resources, Subcommittee on National Parks and Public Lands. 1998. Behind closed doors: The abuse of trust and discretion in the establishment of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, 105the Congress, 1st Session. U.S. GPO, Washington, D.C., 73 pp.

Wilkinson, Charles. 1999. Fire on the plateau:  Conflict and endurance in the American southwest. Island Press/Shearwater Books, Washington, D.C., 402 pp.  

Withers, K. and Mead, J. I. 1993. Late Quaternary vegetation and climate in the Escalante River basin on the central Colorado Plateau. Great Basin Naturalist 53: 145-161.