With AZ Natl. Monuments in Crosshairs, Groups Make Economic Case
Public News Service
The National Park System in Arizona each year draws 12 million visitors, who spend almost $1 billion and support more than 15,000 jobs, according to new fact sheets by Democratic Party members of the Joint Economic Committee in Congress.
Public lands advocates hope that will be enough to keep four Arizona national monuments safe as they undergo a review ordered by the U.S. Department of the Interior.
President Donald Trump has directed that the monuments’ boundaries conform to the smallest possible acreage necessary to protect the cultural and natural resources.
Bryan Martyn, a former Arizona State Parks director and former Pinal County supervisor, says Arizona’s national monuments are crucial to rural economies.
