Bears Ears National Monument (BENM) is a region of extraordinary natural diversity and cultural significance – one that has gained international attention because management of the Monument is being guided by, and benefitting from, the expertise and Traditional Indigenous Knowledge of the five Tribes of the Bears Ears Commission (Navajo, Zuni, Hopi, Ute, and Ute Mountain Ute).

But this remarkable landscape is threatened by a proposed 480-foot communications tower. Former San Juan County Commissioner and Navajo Nation Council Delegate Mary Maryboy recently wrote “If erected, this alien-looking tower will be a spear in the heart of the Bears Ears area.”

Please sign our “No communications tower in Bears Ears National Monument” petition. 

Additional information about the proposed tower:

• The proposed tower would be on a Utah Trust Lands Administration (TLA) parcel located within the boundaries of BENM. The parcel is zoned for a maximum tower height of 35 feet, but the proposed tower would be 480 feet tall with red blinking lights at the top and at approximately 240 feet – taller than the tallest building in Utah (the currently under-construction 450-foot Astra Tower in Downtown Salt Lake City). It would also have 24 guylines extending out in all directions.

• The tower would be visible throughout much of BENM, as well as from portions of Natural Bridges National Monument, including the campground. Natural Bridges was the first International Dark Sky Park certified by the International Dark-Sky Association, in 2007; see Exhibit 3 here. 

• The proposed tower is on a TLA parcel located off Utah State Route 95 at the turnoff for Natural Bridges and Halls Crossing. Under the proposed Bear Ears Land Exchange, this parcel would have been transferred from TLA to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the tower application would have been rejected. The exchange (which the state of Utah has pulled out of) was supposed to be a “gold mine” for Utah schools.

• To our knowledge, while outreach was done to some tribal nations, at least a dozen tribes with connections to Bears Ears (including the Hopi Tribe, Navajo Nation, and the Pueblo of Acoma) were not contacted. In their application to the County, the developer (Boca Raton, FL-based Vertical Bridge Development, LLC) stated: “Presently, the tower applicant is unaware of any impacts on endangered species, national historic sites, migratory birds, or Native American/Tribal lands.”  

• On Feb, 8, 2024, in a 3-2 vote, the San Juan County Planning Commission officially approved a “Conditional Use Permit (CUP)” request for the installation of a 460-foot tall guyed tower with antennas and radio transmitting equipment as well as associated ground equipment shelters, emergency generator and solar panel arrays in the Agricultural (A-1) Zone. The application states that “The San Juan County Code sets a maximum height for buildings in the A-1 District at 35 feet. Consequently, the proposed tower of 460 feet will require a variance.” The county conditioned the CUP on the developer also getting a variance from the county. To date, the developer has yet to file a variance request. If this variance is approved by the San Juan County Commission (this decision can be administratively appealed), approvals will also be needed from TLA and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

• The FCC is required to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for towers of this height. The developer filed a request for FCC approval in the form of an “Environmental Assessment Summary Report”, on June 26, 2024. Nowhere does the Summary Report mention that the tower is in the middle of BENM – in fact, not one of the 21 maps provided in the application (some dated as far back as 2003) show BENM. And, with no supporting information or analysis, it claims that there will be no impacts on cultural, visual, natural, or any other resources.  

• In response to the FCC application, on Monday, July 29, 2024, SUWA and 7 other groups submitted a formal “Request for Environmental Review of the Proposed Bears Ears Site,” stating: “… Petitioners request that a full and public Environmental Impact Statement be undertaken, which includes a range of alternatives to the proposed action…At a minimum, a new EA must be prepared that complies with the FCC regulations and NEPA by fully analyzing the potential for significant environmental impacts to the cultural, natural, aesthetic, and other resources and values of the two national monuments.” 

• The proposed project has garnered media attention, including stories in the Salt Lake Tribune and Fox 13. Mary Maryboy’s op-ed was syndicated nationally; he points out that “For many years, the Navajo and other local tribes—Hopi, Uintah, Ouray Ute, Zuni and Ute Mountain Ute—worked together to gain federal protection for this land. But what we gained is now threatened by developments that defile and dishonor the cultural and spiritual significance held by Navajo and other Native peoples.”

We anticipate additional opportunities for you to show how controversial this project is! Right now, please sign our “No communications tower in Bears Ears National Monument” petition. 

Resources:

• San Juan County Planning Commission Staff Report – Feb. 8, 2024
• Request for Environmental Review of the Proposed Bears Ears Site
• Proposed Telecommunications Tower Viewshed Analysis (see Exhibit 3)
• FCC Application from Vertical Bridge Development 
• NPS Letter to TLA in Opposition
• Utah Diné Bikéyah letter to San Juan County in Opposition