Environment America joins groups to thank President Biden

Environment America signed on to a letter signed by 155 groups thanking President Biden and key leaders in the administration for restoring Bears Ears, Grand Staircase-Escalante, and Northeast Canyons and Seamounts national monuments, and encouraging them to take future actions in pursuit of the administration’s goal of protecting ‘America the Beautiful.’

The full text of the letter is below:

October 20, 2021

Dear President Biden, Secretary Haaland, Secretary Raimondo, Secretary Vilsack, Chair Mallory, Ms. Gina McCarthy and Administrator Spinrad,

On behalf of the undersigned organizations and the millions of members and supporters we collectively represent, we enthusiastically thank you for your actions restoring full protections to Bears Ears, Grand Staircase-Escalante, and Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine national monuments.

By acting to protect Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments, you honor the sacred landscape home to Indigenous Peoples, including the Paiute, Hopi, Zuni, Diné/Navajo, Ute, Acoma and Jemez Pueblos, and Ute Mountain Ute.

Because of your actions, we can rest assured that these irreplaceable national monuments will exist for generations to come. Thank you.

All three of these monuments protect biodiversity and critical habitat and we hope that last week’s proclamations will be precursors to future actions in pursuit of the administration’s goal of protecting ‘America the Beautiful.’ In his address, the President mentioned the Tongass National Forest, Bristol Bay and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Our old growth forests and many other special, sacred and important places must be permanently protected from development if we are to achieve our shared goal of protecting 30 percent of our lands and waters to combat the climate crisis, preserve biodiversity and address inequitable access to nature.

We also look forward to Bears Ears National Monument serving as a new model of collaborative management between Tribes, state and federal land agencies. The traditional knowledge and place-based conservation strategies of Tribal communities should play a significant role in shaping efforts to conserve and plan for a resilient future for this landscape that we all hold dear.

We are thankful to have leaders like you working to protect our lands and waters.