I celebrate the inauguration of Bears Ears National Monument because it’s a gift to the world, given to folks by the imagination of nature’s workings.
After reading the proclamation of its establishment presented by President Barack Obama on Dec. 28, I was overjoyed that all of its wonders will be protected and managed well.
For all of us, protection of wild lands such as Bears Ears National Monument is imperative to having healthy futures. In my studies at Fort Lewis College as a biology major, I personally see the monument as an investment to sustain a healthier Earth for everyone’s future.
Conservation is multidisciplinary, and I’ve already heard/read overjoyed explanations from so many perspectives that are scientific, recreational, religious, cultural, agricultural, culinary and so on that speak to the benefits of conserving places such as Bears Ears.
Indeed, Bears Ears National Monument is so expansive that it surpasses any single explanation as to what it means to me.
I understand that the Antiquities Act of 1906 was used to create Bears Ears National Monument among countless other places that I was born near, lived around, worked in and will pass away by. Therefore, I know that the politics that surround these places affect my past, present and future.
I will be sure that the elected representatives I support vote to protect the places that support me.
Liberty Foster
Durango
