Center for Biological Diversity

Media Advisory, December 7, 2017

Contact:  Ryan Beam, Center for Biological Diversity, (928) 853-9929, rbeam@biologicaldiversity.org
Alicyn Gitlin, Sierra Club, (520) 491-9528, (928) 774-6514, alicyn.gitlin@sierraclub.org

Flagstaff Activists to Rally Against Trump's Attacks on National Monuments

Demonstration Part of Save Our National Monuments Week of Action

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz.— Activists on Friday will gather beneath the San Francisco peaks in Flagstaff for a large group photo with giant banners protesting President Trump’s order this week to slash two national monuments in Utah.

The demonstration, organized by the Center for Biological Diversity’s Ignite Change network and the Sierra Club’s Grand Canyon Chapter, is part of a national week of action to support public lands that will include thousands of people participating in more than 100 events.

Friday’s event will give the public a chance to visually demonstrate their disapproval of Trump’s action, their solidarity with tribes harmed by Trump’s decision and their support for public lands and national monuments.

What: Protect national monuments group photo

Where: Just north of the main parking lot at Buffalo Park, 2400 N. Gemini Road, Flagstaff, AZ 86004

When: Friday, Dec., 8, 4:15 p.m. to 5:15 p.m.

Media Availability: Volunteers and organizers will be available for media interviews.

“We hope this event brings out many Flagstaff residents who cherish their national monuments and public lands and who stand in solidarity with the tribes,” said Ryan Beam, an organizer at the Center. “This is our chance to create an image showing our deep love for public lands and our strong opposition to Trump’s attacks. We will be seen and we will be heard.”

“Public land access is what brought many people to our beautiful town,” said Alicyn Gitlin, Grand Canyon conservation coordinator for Sierra Club. “Our residents are clearly upset by this assault on beloved landscapes and waterways, revered archaeological and cultural resources, and wildlife habitats. These lands belong to all Americans and shouldn’t be the subject of corporate giveaways.”

Background
Trump on Monday announced plans to slash protections from 2 million acres of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments in Utah. The move is part of a larger attack on public lands by Trump and some members of Congress to slash protections and allow more oil and gas drilling, mining, logging and other industrial uses within protected areas.

The Center, Sierra Club and other conservation groups and five tribes sued the Trump administration this week over the attack on monuments.

The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 1.5 million members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places.

Founded in 1892, the Sierra Club is a national nonprofit environmental organization with over 3 million members and supporters, including more than 60,000 in Arizona. Sierra Club’s mission is “to explore, enjoy, and protect the wild places of the earth; to practice and promote the responsible use of the earth’s ecosystems and resources; and to educate and enlist humanity to protect and restore the quality of the natural and human environment.

www.biologicaldiversity.org

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