Advocacy groups in Idaho are working hard to build public support for a potential designation of Island Park, Idaho area into the Caldera National Monument. This monument would include the Henry’s Fork Caldera and the half of the Island Park Caldera that lies outside of Yellowstone National Park. As you can see from the map below, the proposal would include land to the East of Island Park Reservoir and land surrounding Henry’s Lake State Park.
- Bypassing Congress
This proposal essentially is creating a buffer zone around Yellowstone National Park or even extending the park boundaries through a national monument designation. Using the Antiquities Act, allows the president to essentially expand a national park and completely ignore the will of Congress and the people of the United States. - Prioritization of Wildlife
The environmental and conservation advocacy groups that are calling for the president to designate this area in Idaho as a national monument are also advocacy groups who regularly call for increased grizzly and wolf protections on public lands at the expense of human, public access. There are numerous laws at the federal and state level that protect and regulate the management of wildlife. The Antiquities Act is a poor tool for creating wildlife protections, and the blunt restrictions that often result from monument designation often restrict hunting and shooting. We shouldn’t let radical environmental groups weaponize our love of animals to lock up our public lands. - Inconsistent Management
Because there are already protections on these lands such as state parks and Yellowstone bordering the proposed national monument, management and enforcement of these lands will be extremely complicated and inconsistent. Buffer zones around Yellowstone will be restrictive and the prioritization of closures will be prevalant including likely restrictions on over snow vehicles. - Water Management
With an ever increasing movement to remove dams across the western United States. It is unclear and concerning how a national monument would effect Island Park Reservoir as well as the water in general throughout this area. Other national monument’s have recently created aquifer Areas of Critical Environmental Concern in an attempt to override the state’s authority to manage water and insert their own management prescriptions. The Antiquities Act has now become not just a tool for land grabs, but it is being used for water grabs as well. - A Blind Public
This is a fairly new monument proposal which means we do not have previous legislation outlining the boundaries or management of the area. Much of the designation aspects would be unknown until the president signs his name to a presidential proclamation. Without clear details of the proposal it is difficult for the public to truly know how much is at risk.
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Tentative Map
