1) Hold up a sign. Get a “Protect Wild Utah/Protect Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Monuments” sign from a volunteer and hold it aloft during the meeting.

2) Tweet and post on facebook. Social media is an important – and easy – way to show you stand with Bears Ears, Grand Staircase-Escalante and Utah public lands.

Use the hashtags #StandWithBearsEars, #MonumentsForAll and #KeepItPublic to join the online conversation. Take and post photos and videos (if you speak, have a friend take a video of your question and the Congressman’s answer).

Important people to include in your tweets:

@RepChrisStewart – Representative Chris Stewart

@POTUS – President Donald Trump

@SecretaryZinke – U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke

Sample tweets (please add your personal photos):

Utahns love our public lands & #MonumentsForAll! Many here to support Grand Staircase & #StandWithBearsEars. @RepChrisStewart @POTUS

I am here tonight at @RepChrisStewart’s Town Hall to #StandWithBearsEars & Grand Staircase-Escalante #MonumentsForAll! @POTUS

I live in [fill in the blank], Utah and I #StandWithBearsEars & Grand Staircase #MonumentsForAll! @RepChrisStewart @SecretaryZinke

Hundreds of Utahns at @RepChrisStewart Town Hall to support public lands & #MonumentsForAll! #StandWithBearsEars #KeepItPublic

3) Request (or get in line) to speak. Express your support for protecting Bears Ears and Grand Staircase National Monuments, preserving Utah’s wilderness, and keeping public lands in public hands. Challenge Rep. Stewart’s positions on these issues.

Here are some examples you might consider:

• Monuments: Four of Utah’s five national parks (Zion, Arches, Capitol Reef and Bryce Canyon) began as monuments, under the exact same circumstances being replayed today. Our elected leaders back then failed to protect these extraordinary areas legislatively so the sitting President proclaimed each as a monument.  Today we cherish and promote these treasures – just like our grandkids will cherish and promote Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante. I think you’re on the wrong side of history. Please explain yourself.
• Bears Ears: Your request to President Trump that he undo or shrink Bears Ears is a historic betrayal to Native and all Americans. Why do you insist upon saying that Native Americans do not support Bears Ears National Monument when these are the facts:
  • The elected governments of the Navajo, Hopi, Zuni, Ute, Ute Mtn Ute requested Obama to proclaim BENM and fully support the monument as proclaimed.
  • In addition, the National Congress of American Indians representing 300 tribes nationwide support BENM as proclaimed.
  • AND, the majority of Native Americans living in Utah support BENM as proclaimed – this is demonstrated by the fact that six of the seven Chapter Houses on Navajo lands has passed resolutions in support, as did the Ute Tribe.
• Grand Staircase-Escalante: Two hundred rural, small town business operators and citizens from Garfield and Kane Counties, including the Escalante Chamber of Commerce, have written Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke (and sent copies to you) expressing their strong support for GSENM and BENM and extolling the economic and other benefits that GSENM has brought to their communities. Have you or will you meet with these business leaders in your district? Why are you not helping them preserve GSENM, the lifeblood of their communities.
• Keep Public Lands in Public Hands: You support the “transfer” of America’s public lands to states. I and many others in this room treasure these public lands for hunting, fishing, camping with our families.  Please explain your rationale for robbing us of our public land heritage when repeated studies – and history – make it clear that Utah would need to either sell these lands off or throw them open to oil and gas drilling in order to simply cover the cost of managing them.  Or is that the future you want?

Thanks for making your voice heard!