Last weekend, Bluff hosted the largest gathering in the recorded history of the town. Friends of Cedar Mesa estimates approximately 1,400 people attended a public meeting hosted by Sally Jewell, the Secretary of the Interior, and Robert Bonnie, Undersecretary of the US Department of Agriculture. A large contingent of Bluff locals joined archaeologists, Native Americans, and Friends from around the Four Corners who care about the greater Cedar Mesa area. Bluff also welcomed hundreds of our neighbors from Blanding and Monticello, many of whom were supportive of a National Conservation Area, as envisioned in the Public Lands Initiative, but not a National Monument designation.
Board Chair Vaughn Hadenfeldt shows Secretary Jewell a local rock art panel.
Prior to Saturday’s public meeting, Secretary Jewel toured Cedar Mesa and Comb Ridge, learning about the internationally significant cultural resources of the area from BLM archaeologists, resource experts, and Friends of Cedar Mesa. Joining the Secretary on the field trips were BLM Director Neil Kornze, Park Service Director John Jarvis, and Acting Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Larry Roberts. While on the ground, the DOI contingent also visited for several hours with leaders from Hopi, Zuni, Navajo, and Ute tribes near the Bears Ears Buttes.
Native American riders and veterans present the colors at a Bears Ears Gathering near the Community Center (c) Corey Robinson
Saturday’s listening session was marked by broad agreement that the lands and archaeology of the Bears Ears region are special and should be protected. The discussion and comments were largely courteous and constructive, with the notable exception of some anti-monument attendees booing and catcalling the President of the Navajo Nation, Russell Begay – an embarrassingly disrespectful moment.
Secretary Jewel and the other leaders from Washington, D.C. listened intently, often taking notes. Friends who spoke for the urgent need to protect the cultural resources of the area included archaeologists Ben Bellorado, Laurie Webster, Bill Doelle, Jonathan Till, and Fred Niles. Several noted the archaeological areas that would not be protected by the Public Lands Initiative. Rob Gay spoke eloquently about the paleontological resources in Bears Ears. Bluff locals also spoke eloquently about our support for protection, including Marcia Simonis, Nate Sosa, Leon Sampson, and Liza Doran. Many other Bluff locals and archaeologists attended but were not lucky enough to speak. According to the San Juan Record, some 700 people requested to speak in the lottery. About 10% got to talk for 2 minutes.
Marcia Simonis of FCM addresses Secretary Jewell (c) Barbara StaggAfter three hours of back-to-back commenters, Secretary Jewel extended the session another 30 minutes to allow even more people the chance to speak. Jewell’s patience and sincerity was on display, showing a true desire to hear all sides and gather as much information on the area as possible.
At the conclusion of the listening session, sweat-soaked attendees slowly dispersed and an hour later, Bluff returned to being a sleep tallown, but perhaps with a bit more anticipation for what might come before the end of the year.
All sides had the opportunity to voice their opinions through signs, public comment. (c) Corey Robinson