In a move that has sent shockwaves through conservation and Indigenous communities, President Donald Trump on Monday drastically reduced the size of Bears Ears National Monument by 91% and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument by 90%, effectively dismantling the landmark Bears Ears Commission and its pioneering model of tribal co-management over ancestral lands in southern Utah. The executive action, which slashes a combined three million acres of federal protected lands, aims to open vast swathes of these ecologically and culturally sensitive areas to resource extraction, reversing protections that had been reinstated by President Joe Biden and reigniting a contentious battle over public lands and Indigenous sovereignty.

The Bears Ears Commission, established alongside the monument in 2016, represented a historic achievement, bringing together five sovereign tribal nations—the Hopi Tribe, Navajo Nation, Ute Indian Tribe, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, and Zuni Tribe—to collaborate directly with federal agencies on the stewardship of their deeply sacred ancestral territory. Its abrupt elimination has provoked profound indignation among tribal leaders. "I am angry. I am hurt, and I am tired of standing here having to explain again why Bears Ears matters to me," stated Davina Smith-Idjesa, co-chair for the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition and its Navajo Nation representative, during a Tuesday morning press call. The Inter-Tribal Coalition, a non-profit entity formed to advocate for the monument, has been at the forefront of this enduring struggle.

These significant reductions surpass the scope of President Trump’s previous actions during his first administration, which had seen monument boundaries similarly curtailed before being restored by President Biden. "We have been here before, but this cuts even deeper," Smith-Idjesa emphasized. "To reduce Bears Ears again is devastating, but to abolish the Bears Ears Commission is to attempt to erase years of tribal leadership, relationships and work between sovereign tribal nations and our federal partners." This latest proclamation, long anticipated since President Trump’s return to office last year, culminates a persistent campaign by the state of Utah to diminish the monuments and curtail Indigenous oversight.

Adding insult to injury, the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition revealed that the Department of the Interior under the Trump administration had previously pledged consultation with the commission before considering any boundary alterations—a promise that, according to the coalition, was never fulfilled. The administration’s rationale for the cuts, outlined in the proclamation, has drawn sharp criticism for its dismissive language. Monte Mills, director of the Native American Law Center at the University of Washington, pointed out that the order significantly undercuts the intrinsic value of these lands, describing objects within the monument as "not of particular historic or scientific interest" and the landscape as merely "generic features" deemed "not worthy of protection." Mills argued that this is not merely about rescinding a monument designation, but "trying to rewrite and trying to erase the real history and meaning and value of this place." He further characterized the proclamation as part of "a broader project of white nationalism on the part of this administration," aligning it with other efforts, such as the reported removal of signs from national parks that highlight Indigenous histories or slavery.

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, established by President Bill Clinton in 1996, faces similar pressures. The Inter-Tribal Coalition, formed last year, has actively worked to defend both monuments and ensure the integration of tribal perspectives in their management. Both monuments had finalized their comprehensive resource management plans in 2025, following extensive public and tribal consultations aimed at incorporating Indigenous knowledge and traditional ecological practices. Bears Ears, in particular, had emerged as a globally recognized model for Indigenous leadership in land stewardship, demonstrating how co-management could foster more holistic and culturally appropriate conservation strategies.

The vulnerability of tribal co-management to shifting political tides is starkly exposed by these events. While Bears Ears has long been a focal point of contention, the administration’s actions extend to broader changes across all levels of public land management. "What we’re seeing this week is the fundamental destruction of public-lands management as we know it, from grazing rules, oil and gas rules, Endangered Species Act rules, Bears Ears," Mills asserted. "In the same way this administration has reshaped the federal government, we’re seeing it play out across the public landscape."

Mills further described the Bears Ears rollback as the federal government "fully stepping back from its obligations" to tribal nations, acting "at the behest of Utah politicians." Utah state officials have historically maintained a contentious relationship with the federal monuments within their borders. In blistering public comments from 2024 on a draft of the Bears Ears resource management plan, the state accused federal agencies under the Biden administration of an undue "focus on eliminating the State’s rights from this land," claiming "wholesale deference" to the Bears Ears Commission and an attempt to "create a new ‘Indian Country’" through the national monument. Utah also controversially demanded greater inclusion of "living, non-Indigenous people," arguing that the plan afforded "less respect, dignity and protections to their heritage when compared to the heritage of the area’s Indigenous people."

Utah, which had previously sued over President Biden’s restoration of the monuments in 2022, also complained that the management plan promoted "a state of non-use." These sentiments were echoed by President Trump at Monday’s proclamation signing ceremony, where he falsely claimed that monument designation prevented activities such as hunting, fishing, and even walking—all of which are explicitly permitted within the monument boundaries. This narrative of restricted access often fuels opposition to protected areas, despite factual inaccuracies.

The decision to shrink the monuments has been met with widespread condemnation from a diverse coalition, including tribal leaders, members of Congress, environmental conservationists, outdoor recreationalists, and local residents. On Tuesday, the Native American Rights Fund (NARF), which has provided legal representation for three of the tribes involved in the Bears Ears Commission, declared that the President lacks the constitutional authority to unilaterally reduce national monuments. "We will pursue every available legal course of action to stop these illegal attacks on Native homelands, culture, and people," affirmed Matthew Campbell, NARF Deputy Director, in a resolute statement. This sets the stage for what is expected to be a protracted and complex legal battle, likely reaching the highest courts.

Hillary Hoffmann, a professor of law at the University of Wyoming and former co-director of the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition, highlighted the instability created by the constant back-and-forth over monument boundaries throughout the past decade. She suggested that this legislative and executive yo-yoing "should be a signal to the judiciary that resolution is needed on these legal questions," implying a need for a definitive judicial interpretation of presidential authority under the Antiquities Act of 1906, which allows presidents to designate national monuments. While the Act grants presidents the power to create monuments, its language regarding the power to reduce them is ambiguous, leading to differing legal interpretations and repeated litigation.

Hoffmann posited that Congress holds the ultimate power to resolve this ongoing dispute by permanently protecting Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante and legally enshrining tribal co-management. Despite the setback, she remained optimistic about the future of collaborative land stewardship, stating, "I don’t think that this strikes any kind of death knell for collaborative management or co-stewardship." Indeed, the foundational work of the tribes, who came together to form the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition long before the monument’s official designation, underscores their unwavering commitment to these lands.

The five tribes of the coalition have made it clear that their connection to Bears Ears transcends political proclamations and administrative changes. "Our connection to Bears Ears did not begin with a presidential proclamation, and it will not end with one," Smith-Idjesa declared powerfully. "You can abolish a commission, you can redraw a boundary, but you cannot erase our prayers from this land. You cannot erase the footprints of our ancestors from this land. You cannot erase us. We are still here." This poignant declaration serves as a stark reminder that for Indigenous peoples, these lands are not merely tracts of federal property or sites for resource extraction, but living landscapes intrinsically tied to their identity, history, and spiritual existence, a connection that will persist regardless of political decrees. The global implications of this case resonate with Indigenous land rights struggles worldwide, where the recognition of traditional ecological knowledge and self-determination remains a critical challenge.