 But
most of the Monument’s
165,000 acres are already leased for oil, gas, and carbon dioxide
extraction. Pending drilling proposals could sink new wells in
the heart of unparalleled cultural resource districts. [Download large
version of the map.]
Though the Monument has retained much of its wild, remote, and
rugged character, it currently faces many threats ranging from
cultural resource vandalism to oil and gas exploration and development.
- Vandalism and Looting
- Off-Road Vehicle Use
- Oil and Gas Development
- Destructive Grazing Practices
The future of the recently created monument
depends on the implementation of a strong Management Plan, crafted
to carefully protect the resources Canyons of the Ancients National
Monument was established to conserve. Involvement and comment from
citizens is critical to making that happen. As the BLM prepares
a Management Plan for Canyons of the Ancients National Monument,
there are a number of ways for you to be involved:
- We can keep you up to date when there are meetings, opportunities to submit comments, or educational events. Click on the wildsanjuanssignup below or here.
- For visitor information at the BLM official Canyons
of the Ancients National Monument website.
- For
more information about the planning process for the Monument,
http://www.blm.gov/rmp/canm/
- Canyons of the Ancients National
Monument is part of the National Landscape Conservation System
(NLCS). Created in 2000, the NLCS comprises the crown jewels
of BLM lands in the West. San Juan Citizens Alliance is a member
of a coalition of groups around the West working to protect these
special places. For more information about the NLCS, visit www.conservationsystem.org.
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In 2002, with guidance from local citizens, the Alliance developed
the Citizens Management Plan for Canyons of the Ancients, which
was submitted to BLM during the scoping period.
 The Citizens Plan is a vision for management that will lead to
adequate cultural and natural resource protection while balancing
transportation, recreation, and valid-existing rights. The Alliance
will work with citizens to advocate for the Citizens Vision to
be heavily incorporated into the Final RMP.
- To champion and protect the Monument’s
relatively undeveloped, rugged, and remote character and the
resources contained therein, and to protect it from current
and future threats. Towards that goal, the vision calls for:
 Management of all uses within the Monument, including valid existing
rights such as oil and gas exploration/leasing and grazing, to
conserve scientific, cultural, and historic objects for which the
Monument was created to protect.
- Development of a transportation system that protects the values
of the Monument, preventing degradation or destruction to Monument
resources.
- Accommodation of a range of recreational experiences, without jeopardizing
Monument resources. Development of a system of recreation Management
Areas ranging from Frontcountry to Outback, which properly disperses
visitors and protects resources.
- Protection of wild and undeveloped lands, including three the Wilderness
Study Areas within Monument boundaries. Keeping such lands in their
natural state safeguards cultural and natural resources.
- Preservation of native wildlife and their habitat, putting emphasis
on canyon bottoms and riparian habitats. The variety of wildlife
and the uniqueness of some species in the Monument require special
attention.
The designation of Canyons of the Ancients as
a national monument was the first step toward protecting the unique
and spectacular resources contained within its boundaries. In spite
of monument designation, ruins and cultural artifacts, natural
resources, and wild places are threatened. These threats must be
addressed through the BLM’s Management Plan:
- Vandals, looters, and pothunters, combined with a lack of funding
for on the ground interpreters and law enforcement, plague the
Monument and the spectacular resources within its boundaries.
- Without a sound transportation system or
monitoring program in place, off-road vehicles have free reign
in the Monument. New trails are created while cultural resources
and riparian areas suffer.
- From destructive seismic exploration and
new wells, to a lack of adequate monitoring, oil and gas poses
sever threats to the Monument. Development and exploration create
more roads and increased access threatening cultural resources.
- Some grazing allotments in the Monument
fail to meet rangeland health standards and guidelines, riparian
areas are suffering while standing walls and artifacts are being
damaged.
The public lands of Canyons of the Ancients belong to all of us.
We have the opportunity to protect this great place for future
generations. |
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