Carrizo on the chopping block, need your help

June 30, 2017

OPINION by BRYANT BAKER

In April, you probably saw pictures of the California super bloom – massive fields of yellow and rolling hills covered in patches of purple and orange. These pictures were shared across the globe on social media and in the news, but did you know they were taken in your own backyard?

That’s right, most of those scenes of sweeping grasslands and idyllic hillsides covered in wildflowers were at the Carrizo Plain National Monument in San Luis Obispo County. The 207,000-acre grassland nestled between the Temblor and Caliente mountain ranges was home to this year’s spectacular super bloom, exploding into color that would have surprised even Dr. Seuss – all happening just down the road from you.

And next year it may not be a national monument anymore.

You see, something else happened in April, while surreal pictures of wildflowers were being shared around, President Donald Trump issued an executive order instructing the Department of the Interior to conduct a review of dozens of national monuments across the country. The purpose of the review? To decide whether the monuments should be reduced in size or eliminated entirely so these areas can be opened to development.

Unfortunately, our very own Carrizo Plain made the list.

President Bill Clinton designated the Carrizo Plain as a national monument in 2001 using his presidential powers granted by Congress through the Antiquities Act of 1906. He joined a list of 16 presidents from both sides of the aisle who have used the act to designate 157 national monuments over the last century.

The places designated as national monuments are usually managed cooperatively by multiple agencies and organizations, and they are protected similarly to national parks. In fact, some of the most well-known national parks started out as national monuments.

The Carrizo Plain was, is, and always will be worth protecting. With the obvious plant diversity on full display this year, the national monument is similarly home to unique wildlife such as the San Joaquin kit fox and giant kangaroo rat – both listed as endangered species – and important wild herds of tule elk and pronghorn antelope. Consider it California’s Serengeti. It’s also one of the best places to witness the effects of time on a geologic scale with a perfect view of the San Andreas Fault or on a human scale with preserved ancient native American rock art at sites such as Painted Rock.

There is no other place like it.

So what can you do to help keep this place wild and protected? Let your voice be heard. A public comment period for the national monument review is ongoing until July 10. You can visit savethecarrizo.org to easily send a letter to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke letting him know that the Carrizo Plain should remain a national monument.

You can also attend a Carrizo Plain Town Hall on Thursday, June 29 at 7:30 p.m. in the SLO Central Library to learn about the review from conservation leaders and write a letter.

There will even be a rally for the Carrizo on Saturday, July 1 at 11 a.m at Mission Plaza in SLO where you can hear Representative Salud Carbajal, former Congresswoman Lois Capps, and Mayor Heidi Harmon speak about why the national monument is important to our region and deserving of its protection.

Together we can ensure that current and future generations can enjoy the Carrizo Plain, a landscape that makes our region and our country so unique. Our collective voice can be monumental.