Photos: Stunning Views President Obama Can Protect Before He Leaves Office
By Andre Miller and Lucy Livesay
In his final months in office, President Obama has the opportunity to protect some truly spectacular lands as national monuments. Among the proposed monuments are Bears Ears in Utah, Gold Butte in Nevada, and Greater Grand Canyon Heritage in Arizona — all vistas like no where else on Earth.
Many of us haven’t had the chance to hike the cliffs of the Greater Grand Canyon or marvel at the petroglyphs in Bears Ears. Instead, allow these photographs to speak for themselves and see what makes these landscapes so deserving of protection.
Bears Ears, Utah
Located in southeast Utah, the Bears Ears region is considered sacred by Native American tribes across the southwest. This spectacular red rock landscape is full of cultural artifacts, including ruins, burial sites, and rock art. Looting and vandalism, in addition to the ongoing threat of oil and gas development, has made conserving this landscape critically important. Additionally, the monument proposal has unprecedented support from tribal coalitions, who have called on President Obama to intervene.
Gold Butte, Nevada
A critical habitat for desert tortoises, burrowing owls, joshua trees, and mojave yucca, the landscape is named after an early gold mining town. As Nevada’s portion of the Grand Canyon, unregulated and illegal activities have damaged the region’s natural and cultural features. A monument designation would connect bordering areas already under protection, helping to make the landscape whole.
Greater Grand Canyon Heritage, Arizona
This monument would protect the watersheds and forests on the northern and southern edges of the Grand Canyon. Proposed uranium mines threaten aquifers and surface water and would reduce public access for recreation. The landscape is filled with thousands of archaeological sites considered sacred to the nearby Paiute, Navajo, Hopi, and Zuni Tribes.
