This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

It is well known that Utah's Sutherland Institute is a far-right think tank with a mission to undermine government. Among their policy positions is advocacy for "increased charity health care" and abolishing the Department of Education. The Institute's recent effort to promote rescinding the Bears Ears National Monument is another misguided campaign fraught with misinformation and veiled interests.

The Sutherland Institute's website and the newly established "Stewards of San Juan County" promotes their new anti-Bears Ears ad campaign, featuring children with their futures "compromised," and is based in fear, deception and fabrication.

The presence of public lands including national monuments, parks and forests is not the reason why San Juan County is one of the most economically depressed counties in the entire nation. The reason lies in the fact that the area has historically over-relied on resource extraction – including Lisbon Valley copper and uranium mines and oil and gas fields near Aneth – which have declined along with the market.

San Juan County could take advantage of its natural resources and recreation to attract tourists, and protected public lands like Bears Ears National Monument could be a stable and increasingly valuable component to its economy. In fact, the new Bears Ears National Monument will bring those local San Juan County children more economic opportunities, not less. Data show that communities near protected public lands like national monuments see stronger economic growth.

However, the most troubling revelation of this campaign is the underlying goal of those pushing President Trump to rescind Bears Ears National Monument — the transfer of national public land to the state of Utah, an objective Sutherland has long promoted. Utah's recent legislative session is replete with regressive bills supporting the unconstitutional transfer of public lands to the state. And yet, the state is in no position to take on the responsibility of overseeing public land in Utah. It is obvious that the controversial School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration (SITLA), the closest example of Utah's ability to manage state lands, is a disaster for the landscape and supports only 1.5 percent of the annual education budget.

Sutherland accuses the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service of being unable to "provide added protections" for the Bears Ears National Monument. This is wholly false. The national monument designation ensures that needed protections are in place, and all that is needed is for Congress to sufficiently fund these agencies to do their job. If you want to establish federal land managers as ineffectual, then give them no resources and oppose them at every opportunity.

Incredibly, this is exactly what the Sutherland Institute and Utah politicians have been trying to do for years. Look no further than Rep. Jason Chaffetz's recent bill to terminate thousands of law enforcement officers from the BLM and USFS. How exactly would that help protect Utah's treasured public lands and resources?

Further, despite the exaggerated claim that federal land managers have fallen short, the numbers supporting a state takeover just don't add up. The results of a 2014 bipartisan study show that a land transfer would cost the state $280 million annually. The scheme for state takeover relies on massive exploitation of Utah's energy resources, and is dependent on a much-higher price for oil than we have seen for years and will not likely see any time soon.

Thus, as Sutherland well knows, the only way that Utah can afford managing Americans' public land is to sell off a significant portion of it to highest bidder. The potential for insiders and their political donors to benefit from this yard sale is tremendous. Get ready for "no trespassing signs" at your favorite public lands and recreation areas, including Bears Ears.

Instead of working to destroy the protections that most Utahns want for Bears Ears, Sutherland would better serve the public by supporting meaningful efforts to jumpstart San Juan County's economy through tourism and responsible use of the monument. Utahns talk a big game about our "Mighty Five" National Parks – Bears Ears deserves the same recognition.

Eve Tallman lives in Moab and is a retired librarian.