Editor,
I am a hunter and angler in the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada, and I am deeply concerned about efforts in Congress to strip away safeguards that protect wildlife habitat and clean water on our public lands.
The latest proposal would roll back protections for Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument in Utah by revoking a land management plan developed through years of collaboration among local ranchers, tribal leaders, hunters and conservationists.
This may seem like a distant issue, but its implications could reach places many of us depend on here in California.
If Congress can overturn carefully developed public lands management plans, it sets a dangerous precedent.
Plans governing areas like the Sierra National Forest, the Stanislaus National Forest and the San Luis National Wildlife Refuge could one day be undone, putting vital wildlife habitat and the hunting and fishing opportunities tied to it at risk.
Hunters and anglers know that healthy wildlife populations depend on intact habitat and clean water.
Rep. Kevin Kiley has previously spoken in defense of public lands, including opposing efforts to sell them off. I urge him to once again stand with sportsmen and women by voting no on the Congressional Review Act proposal.
Protecting the Grand Staircase–Escalante means protecting the principle that our public lands should be managed thoughtfully, collaboratively and for the benefit of all Americans now and into the future.
Sincerely,
Courtney McCahill
Oakhurst
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