Mayors across county support Carrizo Plains National Monument
The recent superbloom at the Carizzo Plains National Monument. Photo by Editor Skye Pratt.
–Wednesday, on the eve of a scheduled announcement from Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke about the fate of national monuments across the West, a bipartisan coalition of mayors including Heidi Harmon of San Luis Obispo, Tom O’Malley of Atascadero, Steve Martin of Paso Robles, John Shoals of Grover Beach, and Jamie Irons of Morro Bay sent a letter urging Secretary Zinke to keep protections in place for the Carrizo Plain National Monument.
The Carrizo Plain – located in the southeastern corner of San Luis Obispo County – is one of 27 national monuments across the country that are under review by the Department of the Interior following an April 2017 Executive Order by President Trump. The review will determine whether to shrink the monuments or rescind their protections entirely.
The Carrizo Plain National Monument plays an important role in the economies of numerous communities throughout San Luis Obispo County, and local support for the monument has been massive. 2.8 million comments – the largest public comment period in the history of the Department of the Interior – were received during the public comment period, of which 97.7-percent were supportive of the Carrizo Plain. In addition, a letter signed by 136 businesses from San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Kern counties in support of the Carrizo Plain was sent to Secretary Zinke earlier this month. That letter followed on the heels of letters from both the San Luis Obispo and Atascadero Chambers of Commerce. Each of these letters articulated how this year’s “California Superbloom” during March and April brought record crowds to the Carrizo Plain who stopped for gas and supplies in towns such as Atascadero, and Santa Margarita – both of which are considered “Gateway Communities” to the monument. In addition, many of those who visited the Carrizo Plain also took time out to travel throughout San Luis Obispo County, buoying the region’s tourism.
The mayors’ letter also discusses the importance of the Carrizo Plain as a natural sanctuary to escape modern life and participate in outdoor recreation activities. The Carrizo Plain is somewhere local residents can go at any time to take time out of their busy schedules to rest and recover while marveling at its natural beauty and wonder.
The mayors who have signed on to today’s letter represent a diverse set of communities from across San Luis Obispo County. Each of these cities has its own unique and complex economy, but all have found common ground on the benefit of the tourism that the Carrizo Plain brings to San Luis Obispo County. “The Carrizo Plain National Monument is woven into the historical, cultural, and economic fabric of San Luis Obispo County, and it is imperative that it remains so,” reads the letter sent to Interior Secretary Zinke, who is scheduled to issue a recommendation to possibly reduce or rescind the Carrizo Plain National Monument this week.
Members of the public can learn more and add their voices to the list of Carrizo Plain supporters by visiting savethecarrizo.org.
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