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Plan for Bear Ears National Monument Finalized in the Face of Threats to Public Lands in Utah  – 1.14.25

Jan 14th, 2025 Written by suwa

January 14, 2025 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Plan for Bear Ears National Monument Finalized in the Face of Threats to Public Lands in Utah  – 1.14.25

Contacts:
Judi Brawer, Wildlands Attorney, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA); (208) 871-0596 (judi@suwa.org)
Grant Stevens, Communications Director, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA); (319) 427-0260; grant@suwa.org

Salt Lake City, UT – Today, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) signed the Record of Decision for the final Resource Management Plan (RMP) for the restored Bear Ears National Monument. Below is a statement from SUWA Wildlands Attorney Judi Brawer and additional information. 

“The final plan takes important steps towards protecting Bears Ears’ unique natural and cultural landscape, while at the same time providing opportunities for respectful appreciation and enjoyment of this remarkable place. The plan is also the first of its kind, incorporating significant and meaningful input from Tribal Nations through the Bears Ears Commission,” said Judi Brawer, SUWA Wildlands Attorney. “Unfortunately, Utah Governor Spencer Cox and other anti-public land adversaries continue their attacks on Bears Ears, preferring extraction and destruction over management for the benefit of all Americans. SUWA remains deeply committed to continuing our work to protect and defend the Monument for current and future generations.”

 About the Monument

Bears Ears National Monument is a region of extraordinary natural diversity and cultural significance. On December 28, 2016, President Obama used his authority under the Antiquities Act to establish Bears Ears National Monument, granting a new layer of protection to some of the most spectacular places in southern Utah. Equally important, the proclamation elevated the voices of Tribal Nations that have ancestral ties to the region. Nearly 100,000 archaeological and cultural sites were covered by the proclamation, including House on Fire and Moon House.

The Bears Ears proposal was led by the five Tribal Nations that together comprise the “Bears Ears Commission:” the Navajo Nation, the Hopi Tribe, the Pueblo of Zuni, the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, and Ute Indian Tribe. As part of the collaborative planning process, the Bears Ears Commission developed A Collaborative Land Management Plan for the Bears Ears National Monument, which “synthesizes Tribal perspectives for the management of the Bears Ears living landscape.”

On December 4, 2017, President Trump ignored millions of public comments and in a brazenly illegal act repealed Bears Ears National Monument, replacing it with two much smaller, non-contiguous units totaling less than 230,000 acres (an 83% reduction). His unprecedented action left rare archaeological sites, unique flora and fauna, and stunning wildlands without protection from looting, uranium mining, oil and gas drilling, and off-road vehicle damage. Thankfully, on October 8, 2021, President Biden signed a proclamation restoring Bears Ears National Monument to its full, original boundaries—plus an additional 12,000 acres added to the Trump-era Indian Creek unit.

In 2023, BLM began the process of developing a management plan to govern the Bears Ears National Monument; this is a crucial opportunity to ensure that the monument is managed for its unique and extraordinary values. During both the scoping phase and after a draft plan was released, SUWA asked its members and supporters to submit comments to BLM, calling for a management plan worthy of this remarkable place.

In August 2023, a Federal District Court Judge in Utah dismissed lawsuits brought by the State of Utah, Blue Ribbon Coalition, and others challenging President Biden’s use of the Antiquities Act to restore the boundaries of Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears National Monuments. The state and other plaintiffs quickly appealed that decision to the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, which held oral argument on September 26, 2024, and will issue a decision in the coming months. SUWA and nine other conservation organizations have intervened on behalf of the United States to defend President Biden’s restoration of the Monuments, as have four Tribal nations.

Background Information

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The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA) is a nonprofit organization with members and supporters from around the country dedicated to protecting America’s redrock wilderness. From offices in Moab, Salt Lake City, and Washington, DC, our team of professionals defends the redrock, organizes support for America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act, and stewards this world-renowned landscape. Learn more at www.suwa.org.