New national monument proposed in northern Arizona

As expected, a group of environmental groups are calling for creation of a 1.7 million acre national monument encompassing the lands in northern Arizona withdrawn from mineral exploration and additional areas, to be designated the Grand Canyon Watershed National Monument.

A 15-page proposal from the groups arguing for the monument is available online [right, map of proposed monument - in light green - from the proposal].

The AP news story says the driving factor of the plan is to prevent timber logging in the region. It also reports "the level of protection would depend on the language a president includes in the designation and what federal agency manages the monument, said Joe Fellar, who teaches public land law at Arizona State University's Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law. The National Park Service tends to have more strict regulations on national monuments than does the Forest Service or the BLM, he said."

























http://matchbin-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/public/sites/990/assets/D9DJ_Grand_Canyon_Watershed_National_Monument_1.pdf