As the San Juan Islands National Monument, encompassing approximately 1,000 acres throughout the achipelago, celebrates its 12th birthday, the monument’s advisory committee was officially disbanded by the Department of the Interior Feb. 27.

“There is nothing that says we can’t host or be invited to meetings with the general public, we just have to make sure we are not going against any decisions by the BLM,” Brie Chartier, SJI National Monument manager explained to the County Council during their regular March 25 meeting.

Citing President Trump’s Executive Order 14217, “Commencing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy,” the Department of the Interior determined public input from the committee, along with other similar committees across the nation, could be efficiently accomplished through other means.

Chartier invited the County to be partners, potentially creating a stronger connection than having a councilmember as part of the advisory committee. All three council members vocalized a willingness to work with the monument staff.

The original MAC was formed to assist with the creation of the Resource Management Plan, Chartier told the council, adding that “It had a very specific purpose. Once the management plan was signed, the MAC was disbanded. We wanted to keep it going so we rechartered it as a discretionary committee.”

Tom Reeve, with Islanders for the San Juan Islands National Monument, told the Journal that while the National Monument itself does not appear to be in immediate danger, it does fall under the Antiquities Act, which the Trump Administration has shown it believes is invalid. Reeve also pointed out that current federal leadership, including the Secretary of the Department of the Interior, are from the fossil fuel industry.

“Other presidents from both parties have created many, many monuments. Trump has tried to reduce them,” Reeve said, using Grand Staircase as an example. Unlike Grand Staircase, the San Juan Islands National Monument does not have mining or oil resources, however.

“The biggest threat,” Reeve said, “Is if we lose staff.” Staff consists of two people, and typically a seasonal worker.

The impact of losing an advisory committee should not be understated.

“Brie’s job does not change,” Sally Reeve, also with Islanders for the San Juan Islands National Monument, explained. “But she no longer has community expertise at her fingertips. The MAC members each have their own expertise that is no longer available. Also, the MAC meetings were made public and had public access time, allowing the community to engage.”

Sally provided examples when community members became upset about the possibility that culturally sensitive areas may get dug up, that pesticides were being used irresponsibly, or noxious weeds being removed irresponsibly. “The advisory committee was able to help alleviate those concerns,” Sally said, clarifying they were never going to use herbicides and had the cultural areas mapped out. There was also a meeting about hunting and gun safety on Lopez after a hunting fatality on Lopez BLM property. The meeting was facilitated by the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and the BLM. The MAC at that time was in the process of being reauthorized. It is interesting to note that a member of that MAC was a former Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife employee. Had the MAC not been dissolved at that time, that member could have provided their expertise to the group, and the MAC could have made recommendations about hunting safety that the BLM would have had to respond to.

“The connection has been lost, and that pride with the community has been lost,” Sally said.

Councilmember Jane Fuller, who had been the council representative on the MAC, said “I don’t think optimism should be lost completely. It’s confusing times.”

Fuller also thanked Chartier for reaching out to MAC members. “Those of us newly appointed, we were pretty disturbed [about being disbanded] But I want to give full credit to Brie. She reached out to us individually. I really appreciated the phone call.”

“There will be plenty of opportunity for public comment,” Chartier told the council members. She expects the strong partnerships with the Landbank, parks, county and others to continue.

Council member Justin Paulsen commented that he envisioned rather than a formal MAC meeting, informal coffee gatherings might occur instead.

Former MAC member Amy Nesler, Stewardship and Communications Manager for San Juan Islands Visitors Bureau commented about the engagement of the community, telling the Journal, “While the dissolution of the MAC concerns me as part of the larger series of actions against public lands and the environment we depend on, I believe the strong collaborative spirit in the San Juans will help maintain a robust level of public engagement for our National Monument.”

While Tom and Sally clarified there is no current call to action, community members concerned about the monument should contact public officials.

“It isn’t to call them to action, it’s to put it on their radar. When [Rep. Rick] Larsen, for example, hears about something happening, or hears rumors of something happening, he will remember what his constituents told him,” Tom said.

Without the monument, Sally pointed out, “What would happen, what protections are left?”