Consulting local interests first in planning for a national monument

The research represented in this thesis examines the effectiveness of a community-based participatory approach to a planning and decision-making process, in the context of a proposal to proclaim the San Rafael Swell area of Utah as a national monument. When leaders of Emery County in eastern Utah and the Governor of Utah asked President Bush in January 2002 to consider creating a national monument in the San Rafael Swell area in Emery County, Utah, these officials specifically requested that the consideration be made in a manner that would provide for public participation and openness. President Bush in May 2002 initiated what was to be referred to by the Department of the Interior as the "San Rafael Swell Study" when he asked Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton to gather information on the Swell's historic and scientific features. The process that was partially implemented by the Department, with input from state and local officials, was a unique decision-making effort; at no time had an administration gone about considering a national monument designation in such a way. Bush assured Utah leaders that no monument would be created without the approval of the local communities. In the end, the process was terminated after a controversial referendum vote in the county. The county that was provided a unique opportunity for input into the presidential decision chose the ballot box over the participatory dialogue. The main objectives of this research are to document and evaluate the San Rafael Swell Study and the context from which it originated. The San Rafael Swell Study, as a public participatory approach to planning and decision-making, is evaluated using a set of criteria that are derived from public participatory planning theory.