- Location
- Never Far From Nowhere
So we have all seen "The Letter" at this point. While this is potentially a frightening prospect, at this point all it is is a letter from an industry group.
But since that is all it is, it gives us, the users of this land, an opportunity to head this off at the pass! We need to get our voice heard early on in this process and that means right now.
What we need to do is a layered approach where we attack this problem from multiple angles.
First:
I have created an online petition asking President Obama not to designate this area as a national monument:
President Barack Obama: Do Not Designate the Greater Canyonlands Area a National Monument
Now, yes, online petitions don't carry much weight but it gets noticed by people and hopefully gets them to do more. So go, sign it, share it on your Facebook, Twitter, other forums! Get this out there and talk about it!
Second:
Write your Senators and Representative. Here are links to contact those from Utah:
Senator Orrin Hatch
Senator Mike Lee
Rep. Rob Bishop
Rep. Jim Matheson
Rep. Jason Chaffetz
In contacting them, try to be polite and express your concerns concisely. Below you will find a form letter, but I encourage you to write your own as it will carry much more weight.
Third:
Write the President.
President Barack Obama
Sound silly? Maybe, but it cant hurt. As with above, try to be polite and express your concerns concisely. Below you will find a form letter, but I encourage you to write your own as it will carry much more weight.
Fourth:
Write the businesses that signed the letter. Express your discontent that they are supporting something like this and that you will be taking your business elsewhere. We've already seen that Camp Chef was duped, how many others? Contacting the businesses could actually be the most important part of this, so please, please do this! Again, a form letter below (which I stole from Veyecteaoare as I couldn't possibly say it better), but a personal one will always, always go further!
Fifth:
Mail in all your letters. No really, fill out an envelope, put a stamp on it and mail it in. This carries FAR more weith than an e-mail. Trust me.
Sixth:
Don't freak out. As I said at the beginning, this was just a letter by an industry group. It's made a big splash, but until we hear something from the government side, there is very little to be concerned about. But the sooner we act, by following the above steps, the more likely we will be able to make a difference. So do that and tell your friend to too. Share this post on any and all boards your are a member of. Get the word out!
But since that is all it is, it gives us, the users of this land, an opportunity to head this off at the pass! We need to get our voice heard early on in this process and that means right now.
What we need to do is a layered approach where we attack this problem from multiple angles.
First:
I have created an online petition asking President Obama not to designate this area as a national monument:
President Barack Obama: Do Not Designate the Greater Canyonlands Area a National Monument
Now, yes, online petitions don't carry much weight but it gets noticed by people and hopefully gets them to do more. So go, sign it, share it on your Facebook, Twitter, other forums! Get this out there and talk about it!
Second:
Write your Senators and Representative. Here are links to contact those from Utah:
Senator Orrin Hatch
Senator Mike Lee
Rep. Rob Bishop
Rep. Jim Matheson
Rep. Jason Chaffetz
In contacting them, try to be polite and express your concerns concisely. Below you will find a form letter, but I encourage you to write your own as it will carry much more weight.
Dear [Representative/Congressman] [enter name here],
It has recently come to my attention that the Outdoor Industry Association has written to President Barack Obama encouraging him to designate 1.4 million acres of land surrounding Canyonlands National Park as a new national monument. Their motivation behind this is that they believe these 1.4 million acres, already federally administered by the Bureau of Land Management, requires greater protection from resource development and off-highway vehicle use.
As I am sure you are well aware, the BLM already has ample capability to manage this land to allow resource development, mechanized and non-mechanized recreation to coexist in a balanced, responsible way. As a citizen of the State of Utah, I love and enjoy this area for its natural beauty, and am proud to say that myself and generations of Utahans before me have been responsible caretakers of this land; which is why it maintains its beauty to this day! That said, I am very concerned at the prospect of adding an additional layer of management on this land, which will do little to further protect its natural beauty, but would have negative effects on economic growth in the state of Utah.
It is my sincere hope that you, as my [Representative/Congressman], will oppose any effort to designate the 1.4 million acres surround Canyonlands as a new national monument.
Regards,
[Your Name]
It has recently come to my attention that the Outdoor Industry Association has written to President Barack Obama encouraging him to designate 1.4 million acres of land surrounding Canyonlands National Park as a new national monument. Their motivation behind this is that they believe these 1.4 million acres, already federally administered by the Bureau of Land Management, requires greater protection from resource development and off-highway vehicle use.
As I am sure you are well aware, the BLM already has ample capability to manage this land to allow resource development, mechanized and non-mechanized recreation to coexist in a balanced, responsible way. As a citizen of the State of Utah, I love and enjoy this area for its natural beauty, and am proud to say that myself and generations of Utahans before me have been responsible caretakers of this land; which is why it maintains its beauty to this day! That said, I am very concerned at the prospect of adding an additional layer of management on this land, which will do little to further protect its natural beauty, but would have negative effects on economic growth in the state of Utah.
It is my sincere hope that you, as my [Representative/Congressman], will oppose any effort to designate the 1.4 million acres surround Canyonlands as a new national monument.
Regards,
[Your Name]
Third:
Write the President.
President Barack Obama
Sound silly? Maybe, but it cant hurt. As with above, try to be polite and express your concerns concisely. Below you will find a form letter, but I encourage you to write your own as it will carry much more weight.
Dear Mr. President,
It has recently come to my attention that the Outdoor Industry Association has written to you encouraging you to designate 1.4 million acres of land surrounding Canyonlands National Park as a new national monument. Their motivation behind this is that they believe these 1.4 million acres, already federally administered by the Bureau of Land Management, requires greater protection from resource development and off-highway vehicle use.
As I am sure you are well aware, the BLM already has ample capability to manage this land to allow resource development, mechanized and non-mechanized recreation to coexist in a balanced, responsible way. As a citizen of the State of Utah, I love and enjoy this area for its natural beauty, and am proud to say that myself and generations of Utahans before me have been responsible caretakers of this land; which is why it maintains its beauty to this day! That said, I am very concerned at the prospect of adding an additional layer of management on this land, which will do little to further protect its natural beauty, but would have negative effects on economic growth in the state of Utah.
It is my sincere hope that you will not designate this area as a national monument.
Regards,
[Your Name]
It has recently come to my attention that the Outdoor Industry Association has written to you encouraging you to designate 1.4 million acres of land surrounding Canyonlands National Park as a new national monument. Their motivation behind this is that they believe these 1.4 million acres, already federally administered by the Bureau of Land Management, requires greater protection from resource development and off-highway vehicle use.
As I am sure you are well aware, the BLM already has ample capability to manage this land to allow resource development, mechanized and non-mechanized recreation to coexist in a balanced, responsible way. As a citizen of the State of Utah, I love and enjoy this area for its natural beauty, and am proud to say that myself and generations of Utahans before me have been responsible caretakers of this land; which is why it maintains its beauty to this day! That said, I am very concerned at the prospect of adding an additional layer of management on this land, which will do little to further protect its natural beauty, but would have negative effects on economic growth in the state of Utah.
It is my sincere hope that you will not designate this area as a national monument.
Regards,
[Your Name]
Fourth:
Write the businesses that signed the letter. Express your discontent that they are supporting something like this and that you will be taking your business elsewhere. We've already seen that Camp Chef was duped, how many others? Contacting the businesses could actually be the most important part of this, so please, please do this! Again, a form letter below (which I stole from Veyecteaoare as I couldn't possibly say it better), but a personal one will always, always go further!
Dear Sir and/or Madam,
I have just resently discovered that your business/organization has signed on to a letter that was sent to President Obama to ask him to designate the Greater Canyonlands area a National Monument.
Let me voice my great disappointment with this fact. As an avid outdoorsperson, I have chosen to live in Utah because of it's diverse recreation opportunities, some of which involves motorized offroad vehicle use. By designating the Greater Canyonlands area as a National Monument, it would no doubt close this area off to responsible motorized use, and people that would not be able to enjoy the area by any other means would be denied access to the wonders and beauty within the area.
Please understand that I truly respect your position on this matter. With this letter, I just wanted to inform you of my position. As a citizen of Utah, and an avid camper, fisherman, hiker, snowboarder, and mtn biker, I cannot, in good conscience, support a business that would knowingly exclude people such as my elderly parents or people with special needs from enjoying what this great land has to offer. In the future, I will look to support businesses and organizations that openly promote inclusive and responsible land use.
Respectfully,
[Your Name]
I have just resently discovered that your business/organization has signed on to a letter that was sent to President Obama to ask him to designate the Greater Canyonlands area a National Monument.
Let me voice my great disappointment with this fact. As an avid outdoorsperson, I have chosen to live in Utah because of it's diverse recreation opportunities, some of which involves motorized offroad vehicle use. By designating the Greater Canyonlands area as a National Monument, it would no doubt close this area off to responsible motorized use, and people that would not be able to enjoy the area by any other means would be denied access to the wonders and beauty within the area.
Please understand that I truly respect your position on this matter. With this letter, I just wanted to inform you of my position. As a citizen of Utah, and an avid camper, fisherman, hiker, snowboarder, and mtn biker, I cannot, in good conscience, support a business that would knowingly exclude people such as my elderly parents or people with special needs from enjoying what this great land has to offer. In the future, I will look to support businesses and organizations that openly promote inclusive and responsible land use.
Respectfully,
[Your Name]
Fifth:
Mail in all your letters. No really, fill out an envelope, put a stamp on it and mail it in. This carries FAR more weith than an e-mail. Trust me.
Sixth:
Don't freak out. As I said at the beginning, this was just a letter by an industry group. It's made a big splash, but until we hear something from the government side, there is very little to be concerned about. But the sooner we act, by following the above steps, the more likely we will be able to make a difference. So do that and tell your friend to too. Share this post on any and all boards your are a member of. Get the word out!
