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Some of the harshest critics of a proposed monument around Grand Canyon National Park have been hunters and ranchers who say such a designation would limit access for sportsmen, harm wildlife management and reduce the land available for grazing.

Citing those types of concerns, several hunting and angling groups came together earlier this year to put up an alternative proposal that would remove the North Kaibab Ranger District, north of Grand Canyon, and its prime hunting habitat from the boundaries of any monument.

So do hunters and anglers truly have reason to worry?

While the only sure answer would come in language establishing the monument, if it ever is established, management of other monuments in the state show road closures, motorized travel limitations and livestock grazing limits are within the realm of possibility.

Important to note, however, is that most of those restrictions weren’t specifically or unilaterally imposed by the monument’s creation. Rather, they came about through a subsequent public planning process that aims to protect monument resources while still allowing public use.

Travel management