In a move that reverberated across Indigenous communities and conservation circles, President Donald Trump on Monday issued a proclamation drastically reducing the size of Bears Ears National Monument by 91% and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument by 90%, effectively eliminating the pioneering Bears Ears Commission and reopening millions of acres of protected ancestral lands in southern Utah to potential resource extraction. This decision, a fulfillment of a long-anticipated campaign promise, marked a profound setback for tribal sovereignty and collaborative land stewardship, unraveling years of dedicated effort to ensure Indigenous nations had a direct, legally recognized role in the management of their sacred patrimony. The combined reduction of nearly three million acres of federal land dwarfs even the controversial cuts made during Trump’s first administration, which were subsequently reversed by President Joe Biden, signaling a renewed and aggressive assault on established conservation areas and tribal rights.

Davina Smith-Idjesa, co-chair for the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition and its Navajo Nation representative, voiced the collective anguish of Indigenous communities 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, articulating a sentiment of profound frustration and historical grievance. The Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition, a nonprofit formed by the Hopi Tribe, Navajo Nation, Ute Indian Tribe, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, and Zuni Tribe, had been the driving force behind the monument’s creation and its model of Indigenous-led stewardship. "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." Her words underscored the deeper implications of the order, which went beyond mere boundary changes to strike at the very heart of tribal self-determination and the principle of government-to-government consultation.

The Bears Ears Commission, established alongside the monument in 2016, represented a landmark achievement in co-management, bringing together the five tribal nations with federal agencies to develop robust protection plans for 1.35 million acres of land rich in cultural heritage, archaeological sites, and ecological diversity. It embodied a progressive vision of public land management, integrating Indigenous traditional ecological knowledge with modern conservation science. However, according to the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition, the Trump administration’s Department of the Interior failed to uphold a prior commitment to meet with the commission before considering any changes to the monument’s boundaries, a stark omission that highlights a disregard for established consultative processes and tribal input.

Monte Mills, director of the Native American Law Center at the University of Washington, observed that Monday’s proclamation went beyond simple boundary adjustments, actively diminishing the inherent value of the protected areas. The order’s language, dismissing the monument’s objects as "not of particular historic or scientific interest" and the landscape as merely "generic features" "not worthy of protection," sought to undermine the very rationale for the monument’s existence. "This isn’t just about, ‘Oh, we’re going to undo this monument,’" Mills contended, "but about trying to rewrite and trying to erase the real history and meaning and value of this place." He further contextualized 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 removal of signs from national parks that highlight Indigenous histories or the legacy of slavery, thereby contributing to a systematic effort of historical revisionism.

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, established by President Bill Clinton in 1996, also found itself in the crosshairs, suffering a 90% reduction. Like Bears Ears, it holds immense archaeological, paleontological, and ecological significance, containing vast wilderness areas and a deep record of geological and biological history. The Inter-Tribal Coalition had also extended its advocacy to Grand Staircase-Escalante, working to defend its integrity and ensure the incorporation of tribal perspectives in its management. Both monuments had finalized their comprehensive resource management plans in 2025, following extensive public and tribal consultation processes that sought to integrate Indigenous knowledge into their long-term stewardship. Bears Ears, in particular, had become an internationally recognized model for Indigenous leadership in land conservation, demonstrating how collaboration with sovereign tribal nations could yield more effective and culturally sensitive management outcomes.

The abrupt dissolution of the Bears Ears Commission and the drastic shrinking of the monuments underscore the inherent vulnerability of tribal co-management initiatives to shifts in political power and influence. While the Bears Ears designation had become a lightning rod for political debate, this administration’s actions extend beyond specific monuments, signaling a broader restructuring of public land management policies. Mills cautioned that "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." This comprehensive approach suggests a deliberate effort to reshape the federal government’s role in environmental protection and natural resource management, mirroring broader administrative trends.

Mills characterized the Bears Ears rollback as the federal government "fully stepping back from its obligations," largely "at the behest of Utah politicians." Utah state officials have historically maintained a contentious relationship with the expansive federal land designations 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 a "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. Furthermore, Utah’s comments demanded that the draft plan be "more inclusive of living, non-Indigenous people," asserting that it "gives less respect, dignity and protections to their heritage when compared to the heritage of the area’s Indigenous people." These comments highlight a fundamental philosophical divide over land use, sovereignty, and the equitable recognition of diverse cultural heritages. Utah, which had previously sued over Biden’s restoration of the monuments in 2022, also criticized the plan for promoting "a state of non-use." President Trump echoed these sentiments at Monday’s proclamation signing, falsely claiming that visitors "can’t go hunting. You can’t go fishing. You can’t do anything. You can virtually not even walk on it," despite these activities being explicitly allowed within the monuments.

The decision to shrink the monuments ignited widespread opposition from a diverse coalition including tribal leaders, members of Congress, environmental conservationists, recreational enthusiasts, and local communities. On Tuesday, the Native American Rights Fund (NARF), which has represented three of the Bears Ears commission tribes, declared that the president lacks the legal authority under the Antiquities Act of 1906 to diminish national monuments. "We will pursue every available legal course of action to stop these illegal attacks on Native homelands, culture, and people," affirmed NARF Deputy Director Matthew Campbell in a resolute statement. This sets the stage for what is expected to be a protracted and complex legal battle, mirroring previous litigations over monument boundary changes.

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 recurring oscillation of monument boundaries over the past decade "should be a signal to the judiciary that resolution is needed on these legal questions." She suggested that congressional action could provide a permanent solution, safeguarding Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante and ensuring the continued viability of tribal co-management. Despite the present challenges, Hoffmann expressed a degree of optimism, stating, "I don’t think that this strikes any kind of death knell for collaborative management or co-stewardship." The enduring spirit of the tribes, who united to form the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition long before the monument’s initial designation, remains unbroken.

Smith-Idjesa’s powerful words encapsulated this enduring resolve: "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." Her statement is a testament to the profound spiritual and historical ties Indigenous peoples hold to these lands, ties that transcend political decrees and underscore the ongoing struggle for recognition, respect, and self-determination in the face of governmental actions. The fight for Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante is not merely about preserving landscapes; it is about upholding treaty obligations, protecting cultural identity, and ensuring justice for Indigenous nations.