The Bears Ears Commission, established in 2016 alongside the monument itself, was a historic endeavor designed to ensure that the Hopi Tribe, Navajo Nation, Ute Indian Tribe, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, and Zuni Tribe had an authoritative voice in safeguarding 1.35 million acres rich with cultural sites, ancient artifacts, and ecological significance. Its abolition, coupled with a 91% reduction of Bears Ears and a 90% cut to Grand Staircase-Escalante – totaling an astounding 3 million acres of federal lands – reignites a contentious debate over public land stewardship, Indigenous rights, and presidential authority.

Davina Smith-Idjesa, co-chair for the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition and its Navajo Nation representative, voiced profound anguish following the announcement. "I am angry. I am hurt, and I am tired of standing here having to explain again why Bears Ears matters to me," she stated in a press call, reflecting the deep emotional and cultural wounds inflicted by the decision. The Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition, a nonprofit formed by the five tribes, has tirelessly advocated for the monument’s protection and the recognition of Indigenous governance. This recent action, she noted, "cuts even deeper" than previous attempts to diminish the monument, as it directly attacks the very structure of tribal leadership and collaborative relationships built over years with federal partners.

This executive action, anticipated since President Trump’s return to office last year, follows a relentless campaign by the state of Utah to reduce the monuments and curtail Indigenous oversight. The legal precedent for presidential power to modify national monuments, particularly to shrink them, remains a hotly contested issue. While the Antiquities Act of 1906 grants presidents the authority to designate national monuments to protect "historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, and other objects of historic or scientific interest," it does not explicitly provide for their reduction. Previous administrations have occasionally made minor adjustments, but never on this scale, leading to significant legal challenges. President Trump’s first administration undertook similar, though less extensive, reductions to these very monuments in 2017, which were subsequently reversed by President Joe Biden, setting a precedent for this ongoing political and legal tug-of-war.

Adding insult to injury, the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition reported that the Department of the Interior, under the Trump administration, had pledged to consult with the commission before considering any boundary changes. This promised consultation, however, never materialized, leaving tribal leaders feeling disregarded and betrayed. Monte Mills, director of the Native American Law Center at the University of Washington, criticized the language of the new proclamation for its dismissive tone, which he argued "undercut the significance" of these ancestral lands. By labeling the monument’s objects as "not of particular historic or scientific interest" and the landscape as merely "generic features" "not worthy of protection," the administration attempts to "rewrite and trying to erase the real history and meaning and value of this place," Mills contended. He further contextualized this move within what he termed a "broader project of white nationalism" by the administration, drawing parallels to efforts to minimize Indigenous histories in national parks.

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, established by President Bill Clinton in 1996, shares a similar history of contention. The Inter-Tribal Coalition formed last year specifically to defend it and advocate for the incorporation of tribal perspectives. Both monuments had recently finalized their resource management plans in 2025, after years of extensive public and tribal consultation aimed at integrating Indigenous knowledge into land stewardship – a process for which Bears Ears had become a leading national model for Indigenous leadership.

The abrupt dissolution of the Bears Ears Commission starkly illustrates the inherent vulnerability of tribal co-management initiatives to the vagaries of political shifts and partisan influence. While the concept of co-stewardship and collaborative management has gained traction in recent years as a pathway toward reconciliation and more effective land management, its implementation remains fragile when faced with determined opposition. Mills characterized this week’s actions as a "fundamental destruction of public-lands management as we know it," noting its alignment with broader administration efforts to overhaul regulations across federal lands, impacting everything from grazing rules to oil and gas leasing and even the Endangered Species Act. He described the federal government as "fully stepping back from its obligations," largely "at the behest of Utah politicians."

Indeed, Utah state officials have maintained a contentious relationship with the federal monuments within their borders for decades. In their blistering public comments on a 2024 draft of the Bears Ears resource management plan, the state accused Biden administration agencies of focusing on "eliminating the State’s rights from this land" and showing "wholesale deference" to the Bears Ears Commission. They claimed the plan sought to "create a new ‘Indian Country’" and demanded that agencies be "more inclusive of living, non-Indigenous people," arguing that the draft gave "less respect, dignity and protections to their heritage when compared to the heritage of the area’s Indigenous people." This sentiment was echoed by President Trump during the proclamation signing ceremony, where he misleadingly claimed that the monument prevented activities like hunting, fishing, and even walking – all of which are, in fact, permitted within the monuments. Utah previously sued over President Biden’s restoration of the monuments in 2022, underscoring the deep-seated opposition from within the state’s political establishment, which often prioritizes resource extraction and local control over federal conservation mandates.

The decision has ignited widespread opposition from a diverse coalition including tribal leaders, members of Congress, environmental conservation groups, outdoor recreationalists, and local communities. The Native American Rights Fund (NARF), representing three of the tribes on the former Bears Ears Commission, swiftly announced its intention to pursue legal action. Matthew Campbell, NARF Deputy Director, asserted that the president lacks the constitutional authority to shrink national monuments and vowed, "We will pursue every available legal course of action to stop these illegal attacks on Native homelands, culture, and people." This legal challenge is poised to reignite a significant constitutional debate over the scope of executive power under the Antiquities Act.

Hillary Hoffmann, a professor of law at the University of Wyoming and former co-director of the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition, emphasized that the decade-long cycle of monument establishment, reduction, and restoration "should be a signal to the judiciary that resolution is needed on these legal questions." She suggested that congressional action, permanently protecting Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante and enshrining tribal co-management, offers the most durable solution. Despite the immediate setback, Hoffmann expressed optimism, stating, "I don’t think that this strikes any kind of death knell for collaborative management or co-stewardship."

The enduring spirit and commitment of the tribal nations themselves underscore this resilience. Long before the Bears Ears Commission was established, the five tribes united to form the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition, fighting for the recognition and protection of their ancestral lands. That unwavering work, they affirmed this week, will continue. "Our connection to Bears Ears did not begin with a presidential proclamation, and it will not end with one," Smith-Idjesa powerfully declared. "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." Their steadfast resolve highlights a fundamental truth: the cultural and spiritual significance of Bears Ears transcends political decrees, rooted in millennia of Indigenous history and stewardship that no proclamation can truly diminish.