OPINION:
The Biden administration’s Bears Ears National Monument management plan is a worrisome reminder that this White House will blatantly disregard America’s sportsmen and women when given the chance.
This administration has inexplicably decided to close large swaths of public land to outdoor activities long allowed on Bears Ears, foremost among them recreational shooting and vehicle access, which will substantially curtail hunting access. This decision flies in the face of sustainable-use hunting and conservation practices that have long guided responsible management of lands, habitats and wildlife in America.
The plan would ban all recreational shooting across the 1.3 million acres of the monument — a broad and unjustified prohibition that openly contradicts the bipartisan John D. Dingell Jr. Conservation, Management and Recreation Act.
The Dingell Act is clear that the closing of public land to recreational activities must be temporary, narrowly tailored and based on specific, measurable objectives. The administration’s plan imposes a blanket ban without any supporting data and explanation, in blatant contravention of the letter and spirit of the law.
While the plan nominally allows hunting to continue, it restricts motorized vehicle access throughout Bears Ears. For most hunters — especially older hunters and those with impaired mobility — off-road vehicles are essential to access the more remote hunting areas. Beyond that, this limit on vehicle use affects hunting guides and outfitters’ ability to take clients on timely trips.
Without motorized access, what would normally be a quick trip requires substantially more time, reducing the number of trips guides can take in a season. This unnecessary burden is a direct assault on the bottom line of these small businesses, which depend upon frequent access to public land. These restrictions will hurt not only the guides but also the communities dependent on their success in the areas where outdoor recreation is a driver of the local economy.
The timing is significant. It raises important questions about priorities regarding public land access and outdoor recreation. Hunters and sportsmen have long been at the forefront of conservation by paying for projects through excise taxes on guns, ammunition and other gear. Funds are apportioned under laws such as the Pittman-Robertson Act, which helps sustain healthy ecosystems and healthy wildlife populations. This Bears Ears plan shortchanges those contributions by restricting access to activities that help fund conservation.
This isn’t just about Bears Ears. The plan highlights the administration’s pattern of disregarding the rights of sportsmen and women. With the broad restrictions on recreational shooting and limits on motorized access, the administration is sending one clear message: The priorities of responsible outdoor enthusiasts take a back seat to its convoluted regulatory agenda. The potential for long-term, devastating effects on conservation, outdoor recreation and America’s sporting heritage is real.
The Bears Ears plan is an important reminder of what is at stake. Our outdoor heritage, the North American conservation model and access to public lands hang in the balance. It’s time for sportsmen and sportswomen to rise in opposition to these bureaucratic overreaches and demand our elected leaders protect the rights, values and traditions that have long made America’s public lands a national treasure.
• Ben Cassidy is Safari Club International’s executive vice president of international government and public affairs.
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