Canyon controversy: A new national monument in southern Utah?

Canyon controversy: A new national monument in southern Utah?

Moon House on Cedar Mesa is seen here with its Kayenta Anasazi-style prehistoric granaries. Unlike Canyons of the Ancients National Monument where certain areas are closed to the public, Moon House remains open with a permit system in place.
Inscription House on Cedar Mesa was visited by the Wetherills from Mancos, who explored Mesa Verde, in the late 19th century. Access to any ruin requiring ropes for climbers is prohibited without an archaeological permit.
Post House on Cedar Mesa is at the head of a canyon and is a delightful surprise for hikers willing to explore on their own. Unlike most dressed or hand-cut stone ruins, Post House is a rare wattle-and-daub type of architecture, which emerged very late in the Anasazi occupation of Southeast Utah.
While most carved Anasazi or Moki steps go up sheer cliffs, these steps run horizontal on Comb Ridge with a 50-foot fall below.
Retired Bureau of Land Management law-enforcement ranger and Special Agent in Charge Lynell Schalk stands near rare 5,000-year-old Glen Canyon Linear petroglyphs at the southern edge of Cedar Mesa. She lives in Bluff, Utah, and says any new monument must have increased ranger patrols.
Nicknamed after a local sheriff, this ruin off of Cedar Mesa has nearby stunning rock art and is in a quiet canyon with tall ponderosa pines.
On Cedar Mesa, the natural stone causeway to the Citadel looks like an approach to a castle in a Hollywood movie. Though there is a bit of exposure, careful hikers can make it all the way out to granaries and sites with commanding views.
House Afire Ruin was named by Moab, Utah, photographer Bruce Hucko, who took a magnificent image of the ruin at sunset with brilliant orange colors radiating from the ruin’s roof.
Owl Ruin in Owl Canyon below the rim of Cedar Mesa is part of a loop hike that provides visitors with a sense of discovery.
This two-story wall with original yellow paint has many historic inscriptions. The wall is in East Rock Creek in Canyons of the Ancients National Monument and is closed to the public though the national monument was originally promoted as an “open museum.”
This magnificent ruin in East Rock Creek in Canyons of the Ancients National Monument near Cortez is now completely closed to visitors who cannot get close enough to see it. Locals were promised the monument would be an “open museum,” but instead public land has been closed to the public.

Canyon controversy: A new national monument in southern Utah?

Moon House on Cedar Mesa is seen here with its Kayenta Anasazi-style prehistoric granaries. Unlike Canyons of the Ancients National Monument where certain areas are closed to the public, Moon House remains open with a permit system in place.
Inscription House on Cedar Mesa was visited by the Wetherills from Mancos, who explored Mesa Verde, in the late 19th century. Access to any ruin requiring ropes for climbers is prohibited without an archaeological permit.
Post House on Cedar Mesa is at the head of a canyon and is a delightful surprise for hikers willing to explore on their own. Unlike most dressed or hand-cut stone ruins, Post House is a rare wattle-and-daub type of architecture, which emerged very late in the Anasazi occupation of Southeast Utah.
While most carved Anasazi or Moki steps go up sheer cliffs, these steps run horizontal on Comb Ridge with a 50-foot fall below.
Retired Bureau of Land Management law-enforcement ranger and Special Agent in Charge Lynell Schalk stands near rare 5,000-year-old Glen Canyon Linear petroglyphs at the southern edge of Cedar Mesa. She lives in Bluff, Utah, and says any new monument must have increased ranger patrols.
Nicknamed after a local sheriff, this ruin off of Cedar Mesa has nearby stunning rock art and is in a quiet canyon with tall ponderosa pines.
On Cedar Mesa, the natural stone causeway to the Citadel looks like an approach to a castle in a Hollywood movie. Though there is a bit of exposure, careful hikers can make it all the way out to granaries and sites with commanding views.
House Afire Ruin was named by Moab, Utah, photographer Bruce Hucko, who took a magnificent image of the ruin at sunset with brilliant orange colors radiating from the ruin’s roof.
Owl Ruin in Owl Canyon below the rim of Cedar Mesa is part of a loop hike that provides visitors with a sense of discovery.
This two-story wall with original yellow paint has many historic inscriptions. The wall is in East Rock Creek in Canyons of the Ancients National Monument and is closed to the public though the national monument was originally promoted as an “open museum.”
This magnificent ruin in East Rock Creek in Canyons of the Ancients National Monument near Cortez is now completely closed to visitors who cannot get close enough to see it. Locals were promised the monument would be an “open museum,” but instead public land has been closed to the public.
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