Johny PrimaIn a move reverberating across Native American communities, conservation circles, and the American political landscape, President Donald Trump announced on Monday a dramatic reduction of two iconic national monuments in southern Utah: Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante. The executive action slashed Bears Ears National Monument by an unprecedented 91%, shrinking it from 1.35 million acres to approximately 115,000 acres, and similarly reduced Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument by 90%. This sweeping directive immediately dismantled the Bears Ears Commission, a groundbreaking body established in 2016 to ensure tribal nations had a direct, formal role in the management of their ancestral lands, effectively eliminating years of collaborative stewardship and historical recognition.
The Bears Ears Commission represented a monumental step forward in Indigenous self-determination and land management. Comprising representatives from five sovereign tribal nations—the Hopi Tribe, Navajo Nation, Ute Indian Tribe, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, and Zuni Tribe—it was designed to work in partnership with federal agencies, including the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service, to craft comprehensive management plans for the monument’s vast archaeological sites, sacred spaces, and natural resources. This co-management model was celebrated globally as a paradigm for respecting Indigenous knowledge and protecting culturally significant landscapes. Its abrupt abolition, therefore, is not merely an administrative change but a profound symbolic and practical blow to tribal sovereignty and environmental justice.
Davina Smith-Idjesa, co-chair for the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition and its Navajo Nation representative, voiced the deep anguish felt by many in a press call Tuesday morning. "I am angry. I am hurt, and I am tired of standing here having to explain again why Bears Ears matters to me," Smith-Idjesa stated, her words echoing a long history of Indigenous peoples fighting for recognition and protection of their heritage. The Inter-Tribal Coalition, a non-profit established by the five tribes, has been a steadfast advocate for the monument, working tirelessly to articulate the profound spiritual, cultural, and historical significance of these lands.
This recent reduction marks an even more extensive rollback than those implemented during President Trump’s first administration, which were later reversed under President Joe Biden. The combined 3 million acres of federal lands now open to potential resource extraction represent a culmination of a sustained campaign by the state of Utah and certain industrial interests to scale back the monuments and diminish Indigenous oversight. Smith-Idjesa emphasized the gravity of the situation, noting, "We have been here before, but this cuts even deeper. 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."
A critical point of contention is the Trump administration’s alleged failure to consult with the Bears Ears Commission prior to the decision. According to the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition, the Department of the Interior had previously committed to meeting with the commission before considering any changes to the monument’s boundaries. This promised consultation, a cornerstone of federal-tribal relations and a legal obligation in many contexts, never materialized, deepening the sense of betrayal and disrespect among tribal leaders.
Legal scholars and advocates have swiftly condemned the administration’s rationale for the cuts. Monte Mills, director of the Native American Law Center at the University of Washington, highlighted how the presidential proclamation’s language deliberately undermined the significance of the protected areas. By dismissing objects within the monument as "not of particular historic or scientific interest" and the landscape as merely "generic features" "not worthy of protection," the administration actively sought to diminish the inherent value and profound cultural importance that tribes and many others ascribe to these lands. Mills asserted that this was more than just undoing a monument; it was "trying to rewrite and trying to erase the real history and meaning and value of this place," linking it to a "broader project of white nationalism" that aligns with other administration efforts to censor Indigenous histories in national parks.
The legal basis for such drastic reductions is itself a subject of intense debate. National monuments are designated under the Antiquities Act of 1906, which grants presidents the authority to protect "historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, and other objects of historic or scientific interest" on federal lands. While presidents have frequently used this power to establish or expand monuments, the Act does not explicitly grant the authority to unilaterally reduce or abolish them. Legal precedent for such actions is thin and contested, setting the stage for significant judicial challenges. This legal ambiguity forms the crux of the argument made by groups like the Native American Rights Fund (NARF), which promptly announced its intention to pursue legal action.
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, established by President Bill Clinton in 1996, also finds itself caught in this recurring political crossfire. Like Bears Ears, it is a landscape of immense paleontological, geological, and archaeological significance, revered by Indigenous peoples for millennia. Both monuments had recently finalized their resource management plans in 2025, following extensive public and tribal consultations aimed at integrating Indigenous knowledge and perspectives into their stewardship. Bears Ears, in particular, had become a shining example and a global model for Indigenous leadership in land conservation and cultural preservation, making its dismemberment all the more poignant.
These repeated cuts underscore the inherent vulnerability of tribal co-management initiatives to shifts in political power and the sway of industrial interests. Bears Ears had, over the years, become a lightning rod in the broader struggle over public lands, but the administration’s actions extend far beyond individual monuments. Mills warned that the current trend represents "the fundamental destruction of public-lands management as we know it," affecting regulations across the board, from grazing and oil and gas leasing to the protections afforded by the Endangered Species Act. This systematic dismantling, he argued, reflects a broader reshaping of the federal government’s approach to its vast landholdings, prioritizing extraction and industrial use over conservation and cultural preservation.
Utah state officials have historically maintained a contentious relationship with the national monuments within their borders. In blistering public comments submitted in 2024 on a draft of the Bears Ears resource management plan, the state accused federal agencies under the Biden administration of an "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 monument designation. The state also demanded greater inclusion for "living, non-Indigenous people," arguing that the plan afforded less respect to their heritage compared to Indigenous peoples. These sentiments were echoed by President Trump at the proclamation signing ceremony, who falsely claimed that monument status meant "You can’t go hunting. You can’t go fishing. You can’t do anything. You can virtually not even walk on it," despite all these activities being explicitly allowed within the monuments. Utah previously sued over Biden’s restoration of the monuments in 2022, signaling a persistent political and legal battleground.
The decision has been met with widespread opposition from a broad coalition of tribal leaders, members of Congress, conservationists, outdoor recreationalists, and local communities. The Native American Rights Fund (NARF), which has represented three of the tribes on the Bears Ears Commission, swiftly condemned the presidential order, asserting that the president lacks the constitutional and statutory authority to shrink national monuments. Matthew Campbell, NARF Deputy Director, stated, "We will pursue every available legal course of action to stop these illegal attacks on Native homelands, culture, and people." This legal challenge is expected to be robust, drawing on historical interpretations of the Antiquities Act and previous legal skirmishes over monument boundaries.
Hillary Hoffmann, a professor of law at the University of Wyoming and former co-director of the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition, highlighted the urgent need for judicial clarity. The constant back-and-forth over the monuments’ boundaries over the past decade, she suggested, "should be a signal to the judiciary that resolution is needed on these legal questions." Ultimately, many believe a permanent solution rests with Congress, which could enact legislation to permanently protect Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante, unequivocally safeguarding their boundaries and ensuring the continuation of tribal co-management.
Despite the profound setback, Hoffmann expressed confidence in the resilience of collaborative conservation efforts, stating, "I don’t think that this strikes any kind of death knell for collaborative management or co-stewardship." Indeed, the five tribes that initially formed the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition before the monument’s establishment have affirmed their unwavering commitment to the land. Their connection to Bears Ears, they declare, predates any presidential proclamation and will endure beyond any political action. Davina Smith-Idjesa’s powerful closing remarks encapsulate this enduring spirit: "Our connection to Bears Ears did not begin with a presidential proclamation, and it will not end with one. 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." The fight for Bears Ears, deeply rooted in history and cultural identity, is far from over.
