Success: Lawsuit Combats Trump’s Assault on Monumental Landmarks

Target: Yvon Chouinard, Founder and CEO of Patagonia

Goal: Continue challenging the potential destruction of two Utah natural landmarks.

“You lost the war.” This is the callous response a Native American allegedly received from an official in Utah: home of national landmarks Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante. Local Native Americans along with scientists and environmental groups have launched a crusade to save the natural wonders from unrestrained mining, drilling, and plundering of the land they see as sacred. A December proclamation by President Donald Trump stripped the lands of their national monument designation, and in the process stripped them of federal protection from destruction.

Yet local officials and the federal government are wrong in their claim of victory, because the war is not yet over. Strong voices like the ones in this ForceChange petition called for a denouncement of this latest environmental assault. Outdoors retailer Patagonia recently assumed the leadership helm for a team of dedicated individuals and organizations willing to do battle for these national treasures. These teams have united their efforts in a lawsuit that stands as both a strong denouncement of increasingly destructive federal policy and a call to action for preservation and protection of our most valued natural and historical wonders.

A few short years ago, we counted Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante as success stories when former presidents designated these Utah lands as national monuments. Renowned for their artistic rocky landscapes, these lands hosted some of history’s most iconic wildlife and continue to hold a special place in the lives of native tribes, who for decades have fought against settlement, industrial intrusion, and pollution of an undisturbed cornerstone of the West. With a stroke of the pen, President Trump threatened the well-being and sustainability of regions with rich historical and cultural legacies. The proclamation shrunk Grand Staircase by nearly half and left only 2o percent of Bears Ears protected. Millions of acres of these lands are now open for business… and the decimation that will surely follow.

Now is the time to applaud those willing to take a stand and join them in saying no more – no more to reckless disregard, no more to corporate greed, and no more to the wanton destruction of our environment by politicians only interested in personal gain.

PETITION LETTER:

Dear Mr. Chouinard,

“I’m going to sue him. It seems the only thing this administration understands is lawsuits.” With these unyielding words, you fired the first shot of a battle for our nation’s natural legacy. Thank you for following through and holding the Trump administration accountable for their increasingly inflammatory attacks on the environment and on our national heritage. Your lawsuit is an effective denouncement and a proactive step towards ensuring the legacies of lands like Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante will endure for centuries to come.

You also called to attention a strikingly important yet strikingly unreported fact: a scant four percent of our lands are distinguished as national parks. This means that untold acres of land across the country are disfigured, destroyed, and cruelly discarded year by year. This trend – this travesty – needs to end, but that will only be possible if more advocates are willing to step forward and take action.

Please continue being that advocate and ambassador for the beautiful outdoors you represent, and never give up the fight for our environment. It is truly a fight for our future.

Sincerely,

[Your Name Here]

Photo Credit: Bob Wick