Tuesday, June 13, 2017

Bears Ears National Monument: Losing the Valley of the Gods?

In the Valley of the Gods...
Bears Ears National Monument. Utah. May 13, 2016. 

Earlier this week, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke released his initial recommendations on the fate of Bears Ears National Monument.  He also has extended the comment public comment period for Bears Ears to July 10, 2017, the same as the rest of the monuments currently under review.

Unfortunately, the news is that the Valley of the Gods may end up being dropped from the monument, which is a shame. It is an amazing place. Perhaps this is one of the areas Secretary Zinke was suggesting could become a National Recreation Area?

This area is sometimes described as a miniature Monument Valley, and I can see that. I actually visited this valley right after exploring the actual Monument Valley, which is about 20 miles to the south, as the crow flies, and 40 miles away on the highways.

Really, to me, these are very different places. The Valley of the Gods feels more cozy, more intimate. The formations may be smaller, but they are no less spectacular.

The valley is accessed by a 17 mile dirt road, which forms a nice loop with U.S. 163 and Utah 162. When I drove it in the Spring of 2016, it was in better shape than much of the Monument Valley road, but like all of these desert roads, one quick rain burst and they can become impassable to non-four-wheel drive (and even to many four-wheel drive) vehicles very quickly.

Utah.com notes, "Because of its isolated nature, people exploring Valley of the Gods need to be self-sufficient and carry emergency supplies. There are no facilities, no gas stations, stores or services. You may or may not see other travelers along the road."

Also, unlike in Monument Valley, hiking is permitted, though I understand this is mostly cross-country scrambling.  There are no developed trails from what I've seen so far.  Dispersed camping (recommended!) is available along the road (no fires allowed).

Information Kiosk: West Entrance
Valley of the Gods. Bears Ears National Monument. Utah. May 12, 2016. 
CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE

Near the west end of the access road, there is a bed and breakfast (seen in the distance in the photo above).  The ranch house was first built by the grandson of John D. Lee, who operated Lee's Ferry on the Colorado River near the current location of the Glen Canyon Dam.  Clarence Lee, his wife Mary, and his brother Buck moved to the area in 1933, first living in a "roofless shack against [a] bluff" (BLM Interpretive Sign) in the Valley of the Gods before building the ranch house that is now a part of today's bed and breakfast.
The first part was built by the Lees with their own hands, using natural stone and timbers from abandoned oil drilling sites.  The walls are over 24 inches thick.  Later additions to the house were constructed by Navajo stone masons. (BLM)

Bed and Breakfast, Valley of the Gods West Entrance
Bears Ears National Monument. Utah. May 12, 2016.
Copyright © 2017 A. F. Litt, All Rights Reserved 

Water, of course, is not easy to come by here, and has been an issue for all of the property's owners over the years.  Today, the current owners "truck water in from Mexican Hat, and generate their own electricity from wind mills and solar panels." (BLM)  They also use propane for cooking and heat.

However, the water issue for the Lees was a little more complicated:
"We'd go up to the side of the cliff to a little spring. We'd take a sandwich and work all day with picks and shovels trying to get water to flow down more, to get enough water to survive,"said Mary (BLM)

Lady In a Tub at Sunset
Valley of the Gods. Bears Ears National Monument. Utah. May 12, 2016.
Copyright © 2017 A. F. Litt, All Rights Reserved 

The formations in the valley are caused by the erosion of 1200 foot high Cedar Mesa and, fittingly, are comprised of Cedar Mesa Sandstone.  This stone was formed during the Permian Age, some 250 million years ago.  Of course the rock was once sand,  "deposited in huge sand dunes near the shore of an ancient sea."

The Sun Has Set Here: Balanced Rock  / Lady in a Tub in Profile
Valley of the Gods. Bears Ears National Monument. Utah. May 12, 2016.
Copyright © 2017 A. F. Litt, All Rights Reserved 

The Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition website says, "The Valley of the Gods is considered sacred to the Navajo..."  Robert S. McPherson speaks of what the valley's formations mean to them in his book Sacred Land Sacred View:
Rock formations are places of power in which spirits reside, and the formations in Valley of the Gods are some of the most distinctive.  These imposing monoliths are Navajo warriors frozen in stone, who can be appealed to for protection.  They are guardians whose power and strength aid young servicemen going to war.
Not far from Valley of the Gods lies a series of rock formations important in Navajo beliefs.  Lime Ridge, to the north, has a trapezoidal block of sandstone that looks like a hogan (traditional Navajo dwelling).  In it are trapped children who were disobedient to the Sun Bearer and are so being punished.  The story tells of how the God warned them not to steal animals and to be respectful of people's property but they repeatedly failed to do his bidding.  The Sun Bearer placed them in the hogan for four days, trying to bring them to repentance; but when this failed, the hogan turned to solid rock.  When a person is near this site, they can hear them crying.  (BLM)

Lady in a Tub / Balanced Rock
Valley of the Gods. Bears Ears National Monument. Utah. May 12, 2016.
Copyright © 2017 A. F. Litt, All Rights Reserved 

According to the BLM brochure distributed at the access road entrance kiosks, the valley and the nearby Moki Dugway are popular for their "classic 'western' look.  "Filming projects include still shots and moving film for commercial ads, major motion pictures, promotions for recreational events such as the Marlboro Adventure Team and hot air balloon rides and even background shots for a PlayStation game," the brochure states.

The two productions that seem to get the most attention are the 1980s television series Airwolf and a couple episodes of Doctor Who.  The secret base of the futuristic helicopter in Airwolf was supposedly located in and shot in the valley, as seen in the opening credits. Yet, there does seem to be in some dispute on whether this was actually shot here or in Monument Valley.

In the next few days, I plan on checking out the first couple episodes of Airwolf and the Doctor Who episodes. Brutal work, but I feel up to the challenge! I'll share what I discover in a future post.

Pyramid in the Valley of the Gods
Bears Ears National Monument. Utah. May 12, 2016.
Copyright © 2017 A. F. Litt, All Rights Reserved 
Like Monument Valley, this valley has been the location for a number of films and television shows.

At first it seems rather amazing to me that Secretary Zinke appears to suggest that the Valley of the Gods is removed from the Bears Ears National Monument.  This is a spectacular place, one of the best within the current monument boundaries and it seems like it would fit well with the criteria of the Antiquities Act, as the Secretary himself interprets it.

Grazing Bull Calf in the Valley
Valley of the Gods. Bears Ears National Monument. Utah. May 13, 2016.
Copyright © 2017 A. F. Litt, All Rights Reserved 

I suspect this decision is fueled by grazing and land use issues.  Some parts of the valley are private property, but the majority of the formations are on BLM land, and some are even within the Road Canyon Wilderness Study Area, generally from the road north, through the heart of the valley.

There could be several issues involved with the choice to consider cutting the valley from the monument, and while I suspect grazing is the main reason, it makes me nervous that there was enough wood from oil operations in the area at one point for the Lees to build a house.

Perhaps the mixed use properties of a National Recreation Area would fit this section of the monument better, but only if they are looking at just continuing the current land use here.  This is one of the places within the monument that could easily be destroyed by oil or gas operations.
Spire and Mountains
Valley of the Gods. Bears Ears National Monument. Utah. May 12, 2016.
Copyright © 2017 A. F. Litt, All Rights Reserved 

Instagram: Tonight's campsite... Valley of the Gods
Bears Ears National Monument. Utah. May 12, 2016.
Copyright © 2017 A. F. Litt, All Rights Reserved 
https://www.instagram.com/p/BFVIiefnCjZ
www.aflitt.com/bearsearsnml

East from Camp
Valley of the Gods. Bears Ears National Monument. Utah. May 12, 2016.
Copyright © 2017 A. F. Litt, All Rights Reserved 

Road Through Rudolph and Santa Claus and Castle Butte
Valley of the Gods. Bears Ears National Monument. Utah. May 13, 2016.
Copyright © 2017 A. F. Litt, All Rights Reserved 

Valley of the Gods - Road and Butte
Bears Ears National Monument. Utah. May 13, 2016.
Copyright © 2017 A. F. Litt, All Rights Reserved 

Castle Butte Profile
Valley of the Gods. Bears Ears National Monument. Utah. May 13, 2016.
Copyright © 2017 A. F. Litt, All Rights Reserved 

Bull Calf Near Castle Butte
Valley of the Gods. Bears Ears National Monument. Utah. May 13, 2016.
Copyright © 2017 A. F. Litt, All Rights Reserved 

Charles de Gaulle and His Troops
Valley of the Gods. Bears Ears National Monument. Utah. May 13, 2016.
Copyright © 2017 A. F. Litt, All Rights Reserved 

Battleship Rock, Franklin Butte, Rooster Butte, and Setting Hen
Valley of the Gods. Bears Ears National Monument. Utah. May 13, 2016.
Copyright © 2017 A. F. Litt, All Rights Reserved 
www.aflitt.com/bearsearsnm 

Wash and Buttes
Valley of the Gods. Bears Ears National Monument. Utah. May 13, 2016.
Copyright © 2017 A. F. Litt, All Rights Reserved 

Seven Sailors
Valley of the Gods. Bears Ears National Monument. Utah. May 13, 2016.
Copyright © 2017 A. F. Litt, All Rights Reserved 

Information Kiosk: East Entrance
Valley of the Gods. Bears Ears National Monument. Utah. May 13, 2016. 
CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE

Information Kiosk: West Entrance
Valley of the Gods. Bears Ears National Monument. Utah. May 12, 2016. 
CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE

Mexican Hat
This formation is near, but not in, the Valley of the Gods and Bears Ears National Monument.
U. S. 163. Mexican Hat, Utah. May 13, 2016. 
Copyright © 2017 A. F. Litt, All Rights Reserved
www.aflitt.com/bearsearsnm 
BLM: Bears Ears National Monument Map (as of June 2017) - PDF

Links


 Rubble:
Bears Ears National Monument: A Quick Tour of a Monument at Risk
http://rubble.blogspot.com/2017/06/bears-ears-nm-quick-tour.html

Bears Ears National Monument: Video and Links Collection
BLM: 
Wikipedia: 




Department of the Interior:

Department of the Interior Press release on Bears Ears Monument Review (June 13, 2017)
Presidential Proclamation -- Establishment of the Bears Ears National Monument:


Public Lands Initiative:

Website:

FAQ


Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition:

Website



Friends of Cedar Mesa:




Utah residents to Ryan Zinke: Hands off Bears Ears! (New analysis of submitted comments finds overwhelming in-state support for national monuments)



Salt Lake Tribune: 

Sources: Zinke to urge diminishing size of Bears Ears National Monument (June 12, 2017)
Navajo elder says Utah leaders ‘never supported’ preserving sacred American Indian sites (June 9, 2017)
http://www.sltrib.com/news/5385484-155/navajo-elder-says-utah-leaders-never

Op-ed: State politicians may not support our newest monument but real Utahns do (June 9, 2017)

Theodore Roosevelt IV: Bear Ears: A story of what passes and what endures (June 5, 2017)
Jewell defends Bears Ears monument process (April 26, 2017)


Deseret News: 

BLM, Forest Service plotting next steps for Bears Ears


 San Juan Record:

Secretary Zinke recommends reduced size of Bears Ears National Monument (June 13, 2017)

Sec. Zinke to make Bears Ears recommendation (June 6, 2017)

Bears Ears National Monument designation disastrous for Utah grassroots Navajos (April 12, 2016)
http://sjrnews.com/view/full_story/27152945/article-Bears-Ears-National-Monument-designation-disastrous-for-Utah-grassroots-Navajos


NPR:

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke Reviews Bears Ears National Monument (June 9, 2017)
http://www.npr.org/2017/06/09/532289014/interior-secretary-ryan-zinke-reviews-bears-ears-national-monument

With National Monuments Under Review, Bears Ears Is Focus Of Fierce Debate (May 5, 2017)
http://www.npr.org/2017/05/05/526860725/with-national-monuments-under-review-bears-ears-is-focus-of-fierce-debate
Utah’s Bears Ears monument is a rock star for night skies – and mineral resources


The Wilderness Society:

Photo gallery: Utah's Bears Ears region is a natural & cultural treasure

Unprecedented outpouring of support for Bears Ears shown during official comment period


National Monuments in Danger:

CLICK HERE for posts about the monuments being "reviewed" by the Trump Administration



To comment on the monument review process (due July 10, 2017):

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has extended the comment public comment period for Bears Ears to July 10, 2017, the same as the rest of the monuments currently under review.

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