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Scientists’ Call for Restoring the Original Boundaries and Intent of Bears Ears National Monument 1
SCIENTISTS’ CALL FOR RESTORING THE ORIGINAL BOUNDARIES AND
INTENT OF BEARS EARS NATIONAL MONUMENT
04 DECEMBER 2017
Dear President Trump and Secretaries Zinke and Perdue:
We, the undersigned scientists, educators, and professional land and resource managers, write to
express deep concern and disappointment over your decision to reduce the size and integrity of
Bears Ears National Monument. We urge you to reverse this decision, restore the monument to
its original boundaries, and work with the Bears Ears Commission of Tribes – which was
established by presidential proclamation - and its many partners to develop a scientifically
grounded, culturally informed, and effective plan for long-term stewardship. Among the
signatories of this letter* are established scientists who have conducted original research in the
region, educators who have used Bears Ears as an outdoor classroom to explore the connections
between land, water, nature and culture, and professional resource managers who are tasked with
protecting this landscape while encouraging sound and sustainable land use. Others recognize the
scientific value of this unique landscape and wish to see its protection restored. Monument status
safeguards irreplaceable resources, while providing new and immeasurable opportunities for all
Americans to enjoy and participate in the stewardship of their public lands.
Bears Ears National Monument is of immense cultural value to all Americans. The five Tribes
working together to protect and defend Bears Ears (Navajo, Hopi, Ute, Ute Mountain Ute, and
Zuni) share a commitment to this place, and their offer to share their knowledge to ensure that all
Americans can enjoy this heritage is invaluable, generous, and visionary. This landscape is
worthy of protection for its scientific value alone, yet it is the dedicated stewardship of the Tribes
and Commission that makes this monument truly unique in the National Conservation Lands
system. Bears Ears presents the country with an opportunity to move forward and develop new
models for cooperation, respect, and success.
Multiple scientific assessments informed the Proclamation of December 28, 2016, and clearly
established that this landscape is worthy of permanent protection. Nowhere else are geology,
biology, human history, and culture so deeply intertwined, evident, and accessible as in Bears
Ears National Monument. Rather than reducing the size and integrity of the Monument, we
believe that the top priority of the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture
should be to support the development and implementation of a management plan that will ensure
sound stewardship of this landscape and its geological, biological, and cultural resources, in
perpetuity. We pledge to assist the Bears Ears Intertribal Commission and the appropriate federal
and state agencies in advancing this process.
* Those listed below sign as individuals; affiliations are listed for identification purposes only and do not
imply institutional support for the positions expressed here.
Scientists’ Call for Restoring the Original Boundaries and Intent of Bears Ears National Monument 2
We offer the following specific suggestions:
• Restore the monument to its original boundaries, agreed to in the proclamation
• Support a scientifically rigorous and culturally informed process to develop a
management plan that reflects the goals articulated in the proclamation
• Respect the agreements previously reached with the five tribal governments that establish
the central importance of tribal leadership in planning and management
• Create new opportunities for citizens to learn about, appreciate, and enjoy this landscape
We, as representatives of the scientific community, are committed to working with state and
federal authorities, and with the Bears Ears Commission of Tribes, to ensure that management of
the monument will serve all Americans, while also establishing a new model for collaborative
management with Tribes, and an appropriate balance of conservation and sustainable land use.
We urge you to protect scientific values, educational opportunities, and unique natural and
cultural resources by restoring Bears Ears National Monument to its original extent, and we urge
you to honor tribal leaders by continuing to engage in a new, more inclusive model for public
land management.
We stand ready to work with you and with our many colleagues to safeguard this spectacular and
irreplaceable part of America's history for the future enjoyment and benefit of all Americans.
Respectfully,
Thomas D. Sisk, PhD, Correspondent
Olajos-Goslow Chair of Environmental Science and Policy
P.O. Box 5694
Northern Arizona University 86011-5694
Wendy J. Palen, PhD
Simon Fraser University
Laura F. Huenneke, PhD
Northern Arizona University
Carol L. Chambers, PhD
Northern Arizona University
Jamey T. Basye, Student
Northern Arizona University
Steven N. Handel, PhD
Rutgers University
Jonathan Patz, MD
University of Wisconsin-Madison
W. Chris Funk, PhD
Colorado State University
Volker Radeloff, PhD
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Dawn Wright, PhD
Oregon State University & Esri
Frank Davis, PhD
Bren School of Environmental Science and
Management
Scientists’ Call for Restoring the Original Boundaries and Intent of Bears Ears National Monument 3
David Lea, PhD
UCSB
Brett Dickson, PhD
Northern Arizona University
Robert Ort, PhD
Northern Arizona University
Peter Fulé, PhD
Northern Arizona University
JoAnn Burkholder, PhD
North Carolina State University
R. Scott Anderson, PhD
Northern Arizona University
Christine Albano, MS
Conservation Science Partners
Sasha Stortz, MS
Northern Arizona University
Stephen Porder, PhD
Brown University
Thomas Swetnam, PhD
University of Arizona
Kristen Potter, PhD
Northern Arizona University
A. Renee Sanders, MS
Northern Arizona University
Karen Holl, PhD
University of California, Santa Cruz
John Leary, MS Candidate
Northern Arizona University
Bray Beltrán, MS
Heart of the Rockies Initiative
Rebecca Best, PhD
Northern Arizona University
Paul Beier, PhD
Northern Arizona University
Nadine Laporte, PhD
Northern Arizona University
Erika Zavaleta, PhD
University of California, Santa Cruz
Kai Chan, PhD
University of British Columbia
Aerin Jacob, PhD
Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation
Initiative
Jeff Fair, MS
Fairwinds Wildlife Services
Cole Webster, MS
Northern Arizona University
Charlotte Wiman, MS
Northern Arizona University
Paul R. Elsen, PhD
University of California, Berkeley
Caitlin McDonough MacKenzie, PhD
University of Maine
Laura Diez, MS Candidate
Northern Arizona University
Stephanie Campbell, MS Candidate
University of Michigan
Jeff Jenness, MS
Northern Arizona University
Audrey Kruse, MS
Bosque Ecosystem Monitoring Program
Scientists’ Call for Restoring the Original Boundaries and Intent of Bears Ears National Monument 4
Ann Wong, MS Candidate
Northern Arizona University
Ashley Smyth, PhD
University of Florida
Kenneth Clifton, PhD
Lewis & Clark College
Diane Pataki, PhD
University of Utah
Julian Olden, PhD
University of Washington
Martha Hahn, MS
Dept of Interior, 2016
Robyn Bath-Rosenfeld, MS Candidate
Northern Arizona University
Thomas Fleischner, PhD
Natural History Institute
Dennis Knight, PhD
University of Wyoming
Katherine Seto, PhD
University of California Santa Cruz
Paulette Bierzychudek, PhD
Lewis & Clark College
Alexander A. Barton, MS Candidate
University of Montana
Kyle Doherty, MS
Northern Arizona University
Kimberly Hall, PhD
Michigan State University
Kathleen Galvin, PhD
Colorado State University
Nancy Johnson, PhD
Northern Arizona University
Lindsay Wancour, MS Candidate
University of Montana
Jacqualine Grant, PhD
Southern Utah University
Rosanne Lockwood, MS
Northern Arizona University
Julia Cole, PhD
University of Michigan
Gretchen Daily, PhD
Stanford University
Brooke Osborne, PhD Candidate
Brown University
Brendan Kelly, PhD
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Holly Gibbs, PhD
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Erika Nowak, PhD
Consultant/Northern Arizona University
Stacy Philpott, PhD
University of California Santa Cruz
Bruce Lyon, PhD
University of California Santa Cruz
Martha Sample, MS
Northern Arizona University
David Mildrexler, PhD
Eastern Oregon Legacy Lands Fund
Bri Tiffany, MS Candidate
Northern Arizona University
Scientists’ Call for Restoring the Original Boundaries and Intent of Bears Ears National Monument 5
Matthew Loeser, PhD
Yakima Valley College
Patrick Shin, MS Candidate
Northern Arizona University
Shawn Newell, MS
The Newell Collaborative
Charles Mogen, MS Candidate
Northern Arizona University
Robert Long, PhD
Woodland Park Zoo
Jessica Hellmann, PhD
University of Minnesota
Brian Helmuth, PhD
Northeastern University
Sara Kuebbing, PhD
Yale University
Patricia Zaradic, PhD
Harcum College
Anne Giblin, PhD
Marine Biological Laboratory
KC Cushman, PhD Candidate
Brown University
Amanda Stanley, PhD
COMPASS
Daniel Perret, PhD Student
Brown University
Peter Friederici, MS
Northern Arizona University
Christine Hawkes, PhD
University of Texas at Austin
Molly McDevitt, MS
University of Montana
Bret Pasch, PhD
Northern Arizona University
Paige Novak, PhD
University of Minnesota
Lutgarde Raskin, PhD
University of Michigan
Mariah Meek, PhD
Michigan State University
Sara Souther, PhD
Northern Arizona University
Beverly Law, PhD
Oregon State University
Rashid Sumaila, PhD
The University of British Columbia
Paty Romero-Lankao, PhD
National Center for Atmospheric Research
Clare Aslan, PhD
Northern Arizona University
Susan Williams, PhD
University of California-Davis
Patricia A. Conrad, PhD
University of California, Davis
Ho Yi Wan, PhD Candidate
Northern Arizona University
Gregory Aplet, PhD
The Wilderness Society, Denver
Melissa Mark, PhD
Northern Arizona University
Scientists’ Call for Restoring the Original Boundaries and Intent of Bears Ears National Monument 6
Yeon-Su Kim, PhD
Northern Arizona University
Grossman Aryeh, PhD
Midwestern University
John Wiens, PhD
University of Arizona
Daniel Moen, PhD
Oklahoma State University
Christopher Noto, PhD
University of Wisconsin-Parkside
Dave Carlile, MS
AK Dept. Fish & Game
Jonathan Armstrong, PhD
Oregon State University
Spencer Plumb, PhD
University of Idaho
Ramona Walls, PhD
CyVerse, University of Arizona
Seth White, PhD
Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish
Commission
Oscar Pineda, PhD
University of Chicago
Joann Jeplawy, MS Candidate
Northern Arizona University
Allison Snow, PhD
Ohio State University
Brett Seymoure, PhD
Colorado State University
Sergio Avila, MS
Sierra Club Outdoors
Megan Adams, PhD Candidate
University of Victoria, Raincoast
Conservation Foundation
Jessie Knowlton, PhD
Wheaton College, MA
Paul Bourdeau, PhD
Humboldt State University
Miranda Gray, MS
Conservation Science Partners
Allison Weis, PhD
University of Utah
Anita Antoninka, PhD
Northern Arizona Univeristy
Robyn Burnham, PhD
University of Michigan
Peter Makovicky, PhD
Field Museum of Natural History
Hillary Cooper, PhD Candidate
Northern Arizona University
Bailey Lydia, MS Student
Northern Arizona University
Tara Martin, PhD
University of British Columbia
Marissa Hirst, PhD
ADM Associates
Ben Donatelle, MS
George Koch, PhD
Northern Arizona University
Celia Symons, PhD
University of California, Santa Cruz
Scientists’ Call for Restoring the Original Boundaries and Intent of Bears Ears National Monument 7
Luz de Wit, MS
University of California, Santa Cruz
Daniel Brumbaugh, PhD
University of California, Santa Cruz
Nikolas Kaplanis, PhD Student
University of California, Santa Cruz
Jason Nez, BS
Independent
Mike Lommler, PhD Student
Northern Arizona University
Emily Yurcich, MS Student
Northern Arizona University
Logan Swartz, PhD Student
University of California, Davis
Justin Cummings, PhD
University of California Santa Cruz
Nicholas Sullens, BA
National Park Service
Ellen Willis-Norton, PhD Student
University of California Santa Cruz
Neve Baker, PhD Student
University of California Santa Cruz
Patrick Robinson, PhD
UC Santa Cruz
Monica Moritsch, MA, PhD Student
University of California Santa Cruz
William Hartmann, PhD
Planetary Science Institute
Alexis Morgan, MA, PhD Student
University of California Santa Cruz
Joe Shannon, PhD
Northern Arizona University
Stephanie Green, PhD
Stanford University
N. LeRoy Poff, PhD
Colorado State University
David Secord, PhD
University of Washington
Jodi Brandt, PhD
Boise State University
Keryn Gedan, PhD
George Washington University
Christopher Gilbert, PhD
Hunter College, CUNY
Lambert Max, MS
Yale University
Ryan Valdez, PhD
National Parks Conservation Association
Christa Mulder, PhD
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Priscilla Titus, BS
Freelance
Amanda Kuenzi, MS
Mountain Studies Institute
Abigail Cahill, PhD
Albion College
Marshall McMunn, PhD Candidate
University of California - Davis
Joy Winbourne, PhD
Brown University
Scientists’ Call for Restoring the Original Boundaries and Intent of Bears Ears National Monument 8
Melissa May, MS
San Juan Soil & Water Conservation District
Scott Roberts, MS
Mountain Studies Institute
Julia Hanson, BS
SME Environmental, Inc.
Karl Jarvis, PhD
Southern Utah University
Thomas Starkey, BS
Wayne County Soil & Water Conservation
District
Matthew Millar, MS
Flagstaff Watershed Protectio Project
Matthew Bowker, PhD
Northern Arizona University
William Shaw, PhD
University of Arizona
Pauline Blaimont, MA, PhD Student
University of California, Santa Cruz
David Hooper, PhD
Western Washington University
Betsy Steele, MS
Long Marine Lab, UC Santa Cruz
Robin Naidoo, PhD
University of British Columbia
Jewell Lund, BS
University of Utah
Keeler Durban, MS
University of Utah
Paul Ehrlich, PhD
Stanford University
Britte Kirsch, BA Marine Biology
Samuel Wells, PhD
Southern Utah University
Laurel Sebastian, BA
Mountain Studies Institute
Fredric Govedich, PhD
Southern Utah University
William Heyborne, PhD
Southern Utah University
Bonnie Bain, PhD
Southern Utah University
Kevin Armitage, PhD
Miami Univeristy of Ohio
Daniel Janzen, PhD
University of Pennsylvania
Robert Ricklefs, PhD
University of Missouri-St. Louis
Erik Nielsen, PhD
Northern Arizona University
Tony Chang, PhD
Conservation Science Partners
Brent Hughes, PhD
Duke University
Raymond Soto, PhD
University of Utah
Susan McConnell, PhD
Stanford University
Ross McCauley, PhD
Fort Lewis College
Galena Gordon, MS
Glendale Community College
Scientists’ Call for Restoring the Original Boundaries and Intent of Bears Ears National Monument 9
Harold Mooney, PhD
Stanford Universtiy
Elizabeth Hadly, PhD
Stanford University
Justin Suraci, PhD
University of California, Santa Cruz
Lawrence Goulder, PhD
Stanford University
May Roberts, MS
University of California, Santa Cruz
Jeffrey Su, Ph.D
Philip Hastings, PhD
University of California San Diego
Stefan Sommer, PhD
Northern Arizona University
Larry Crowder, PhD
Stanford University
Warren Scott, MS
University of Utah
Simon Levin, PhD
Princeton University
Ann Clark, MA
Gregory Anderson, PhD
Univ of Connecticut
Kathleen Hilimire, PhD
Fort Lewis College
Peter Ray, PhD
Stanford University
Carl Schlichting, PhD
University of Connecticut
Megan Daubert, BS
Stewart Willason, PhD
Utah Valley University
Nick Haddad, PhD
Michigan State University
Charles Janson, PhD
The University of Montana
Jesse Tune, PhD
Fort Lewis College
Steven Sesnie, PhD
Northern Arizona University
Gary Tabor, VMD
Center for Large Landscape Conservation
Karole Armitage
The Armitage Foundation, Ltd
Scott Woolbright, PhD
University of Arkansas at Little Rock
Sarah Apple, BS
University of Utah
John Harte, PhD
UC Berkeley
Yiwei Wang, PhD
San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory
Benjamin Sikes, PhD
University of Kansas
Erin Kuprewicz, PhD
University of Connecticut
Allan Seid, MD
Stanford Medical School
Barclay Kamb, JD
Cooley LLP
Scientists’ Call for Restoring the Original Boundaries and Intent of Bears Ears National Monument 10
Sarah Kienle, MS
University of California Santa Cruz
Alicyn Gitlin, MS Biology
Sierra Club Grand Canyon Chapter
Tallie Casucci, MLIS
University of Utah
Daniel Press, PhD
University of California Santa Cruz
Eric Garcia, MS
University of California Santa Cruz
Abby Pulsipher, PhD
GlycoMira Therapeutics
Tiffany Sprague, MS
Michael Lucid, MS
Idaho Department of Fish and Game
Kyle Christie, MS
University of California Davis
Alice Christie, PhD
Arizona State University
Anthony Barnosky, PhD
JRBP, Stanford University
Emily Dean, PhD
Southern Utah University
Eric Johnson, MS
University of Utah
Jonathan Payne, PhD
Stanford University
Christopher Anderson, PhD Candidate
Stanford University
Kurt Schwenk, PhD
University of Connecticut
Ryan Peek, PhD Candidate
University of California Davis
Caitlin Peterson, MS
University of California Davis
Noelle Patterson, MS student
University of California Davis
Jan Ng, PhD Candidate
University of California, Davis
Doug Banda, PhD Candidate
University of California, Davis
Robert Bagchi, PhD
University of Connecticut
John Hessel, PhD
Richard Flagle, MA
Arizona State University
Kimiora Ward, MS
University of California-Davis
Emily Johnson, MS
University of California-Davis
Katherine Dynarski, PhD Candidate
University of California, Davis
Sarah Gaffney, MS Candidate
University of California, Davis
Susan Alexander, PhD
California State University Monterey Bay
Angie Moline, PhD
Northern Arizona University
Philip Brick, PhD
Whitman College
Sarah Knutie, PhD
University of Connecticut
Scientists’ Call for Restoring the Original Boundaries and Intent of Bears Ears National Monument 11
Bron Taylor, PhD
University of Florida
Syndonia Bret-Harte, PhD
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Stephen Trumbo, PhD
University of Connecticut
Margaret Sharp, PhD
Stanford University
Mark Hixon, PhD
University of Hawaii
Malin Pinsky, PhD
Rutgers University
Katie Stumpf, PhD
Georgia College
Philip Arnold, PhD
Syracuse University
Jennifer MacDougall, MEd
Jonathan Puritz, PhD
University of Rhode Island
Collin Gross, PhD Student
University of California, Davis
Stacy Johnson, BS
Bureau of Land Management
Daniel Luna, PhD
University of California, Santa Barbara
Zachary Griebenow, BS
University of California, Davis
Sushma Reddy, PhD
Loyola University Chicago
Carla Sette, PhD candidate
University of California, Santa Cruz
Jana U’Ren, PhD
University of Arizona
Rebecca Mau, MS
Northern Arizona University
Johnny Campbell, MS Student
University of California Davis
Cynthia Dott, PhD
Fort Lewis College, Colorado
David Wilcove, PhD
Princeton University
Heather Gitlin, PhD
Gary Gianniny, PhD
Fort Lewis College
Robin Wright, PhD
University of Florida
Sophie Preckler-Quisquater, PhD Student
University of California, Davis
Jennifer Cherrier, PhD
Brooklyn College-CUNY
J. Judson Wynne, PhD
Northern Arizona University
John R. Strohl, MS Candidate
Ohio University
Christopher Adlam, PhD Student
University of California, Davis
Mary Clapp, PhD Student
University of California, Davis
David Wagner, PhD
University of Connecticut
Madison Sheffield, MPH
University of California, Davis
Scientists’ Call for Restoring the Original Boundaries and Intent of Bears Ears National Monument 12
Alexus Roberts, PhD Student
University of California, Davis
Jeremy May, BS, Physics
Mountain Studies Institute
Shannon Joslin, PhD Student
Susan Cope, MFA
Jill Oberski, BA, Biology
University of California, Davis
Christine Morgan, PhD
David Morgan, MS
Mark Felice, PhD Candidate
University of California-Davis
Barry R. Noon, PhD
Colorado State University
Peter H. Raven, PhD
Missouri Botanical Garden
Rodolfo Dirzo, PhD
Stanford University
George Woodwell, PhD
Woods Hole Research Center