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Show Happy Birthday! Grand Stairease-Escalante National Monument Celebrates First Year The Grand Stairease-Escalante National Monument issued the following official news release in celebration of the first anniversary of the creation of the monument: Happy Birthday Grand Stairease-Escalante National Monument! Monu-ment! On Sept. 18, 1997 the Grand Stairease-Escalante National Monument Monu-ment celebrates its first birthday. The team established to prepare a monument management plan is proud of the successes achieved during this first year. Although no management plan is yet in place, management decisions that have been made so far have balanced protection of monument values with authorized traditional uses and valid existing rights. "This is the first time the BLM has been responsible for the management of a national monument," stated monument Manager Jerry Meredith. "It will be a showcase for innovative inno-vative and cooperative management practices." Some of the most notable accomplishments of the past year have been in the area of partnerships partner-ships and cooperative agreements. As one example, the GSENM Geographic Information System (GIS) staff has established a partnership with the Federal Geographic Geo-graphic Data Committee (FGDC) to share geographic data with the public on-line over the Internet. The FGDC is composed of representatives repre-sentatives from federal, state, and local government agencies, and representatives from the private sector. The project will be funded jointly by the GSENM and the FGDC in an innovative blending of technology and teamwork. The project will foster a spirit of cooperation and improve the decision-making process by providing provi-ding all planning participants access to current and consistent information infor-mation which was previously not available. The BLM has also provided funding to Garfield and Kane Counties Coun-ties to help them gather important demographic and economic baseline information, document infrastructure infrastruc-ture needs, and help with immediate needs such as additional Search and Rescue, and waste management. Cooperative agreements with other groups such as the State Community Commun-ity and Economic Development Strategy Committee have been instituted and there is ongoing information-sharing with National Park Service and Forest Service managers. The Escalante and Kanab Resource Re-source Area offices have experienced an increase in visitors over the past year, though there still have been fewer than visit Zion National Park in an average summer week. Monument Mon-ument information and maps have been available since the first of the year and new brochures have just arrived. More informational publications publi-cations are being produced and will become available over the coming year. The public has also been involved in-volved in the planning process. Eight public scoping meetings have been held in cities and towns in Utah, and six have been or will be held in cities in other states. The final scoping meeting will be in Washington, D.C. on Oct. 16, 1997. The meetings have demonstrated demon-strated unexpected cooperation and agreement among participants. Although Al-though consensus has not been a goal of the meetings, participants have begun to recognize the validity of differing ideas. "It's amazing how much both sides agree," commented com-mented Gregg Christensen, longtime long-time BLM employee in the Escalante Resource Area and mediator media-tor in many disagreements between ranchers and hikers. The coming year will bring even more cooperative planning, more new ideas, and more public involvement. By September 1998, the Draft Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) are expected to be completed. This plan will incorporate public input, management goals of other agencies, applicable laws and regulations, regu-lations, and protection of the monument mon-ument values stated in President Bill Clinton's Proclamation. The Monument Planning Team will be hosting a number of public (See GSENM Celebrates Its First Birthday on Page 4A) Grand Staircase-Escalante Staircase-Escalante NM Is One Year Old! From Front Page meetings, forums, tours, and other opportunities to be involved in the development of the alternatives which will be documented in the Draft Management Plan and EIS. Opportunities for involvement will be announced in periodic press releases. In the meantime, the Planning Team invites continued public comment by letter, phone or e-mail. "As we conclude the first year of the monument's existence, we look forward to solidifying a formal management direction which will be guided by the President's Proclamation, public comment, and appropriate federal legislation," said monument Manager Jerry Meredith. |
