In a move that has ignited widespread condemnation and promises of fierce legal challenges, President Donald Trump earlier this week announced a dramatic 91% reduction of the Bears Ears National Monument and a 90% cut to the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in southern Utah. This sweeping executive action, which effectively eliminated the pioneering Bears Ears Commission, represents a significant setback for tribal sovereignty and conservation efforts, opening millions of acres of protected federal lands to potential resource extraction. The Bears Ears Commission, established alongside the monument in 2016, was a historic initiative designed to ensure direct involvement of five tribal nations – the Hopi Tribe, Navajo Nation, Ute Indian Tribe, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, and Zuni Tribe – in the management of their ancestral lands, embodying a landmark model for Indigenous co-stewardship.

"I am angry. I am hurt, and I am tired of standing here having to explain again why Bears Ears matters to me," expressed Davina Smith-Idjesa, co-chair for the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition and its Navajo Nation representative, during a press call Tuesday morning. The Inter-Tribal Coalition, a non-profit formed by the five tribes, has been a leading advocate for the monument’s protection and the recognition of Indigenous land rights. The combined reduction of these two vital federal land tracts, totaling approximately 3 million acres, marks a more extensive rollback than those enacted by President Trump during his initial term in office, which were subsequently reversed by President Joe Biden. This latest proclamation, anticipated since President Trump’s return to the Oval Office last year, culminates a persistent campaign by the state of Utah aimed at shrinking the monuments and curtailing Indigenous oversight of these culturally and ecologically sensitive areas.

Smith-Idjesa underscored the profound impact of the decision, stating, "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." The Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition further highlighted that the Department of the Interior, under the previous Trump administration, had promised consultation with the commission prior to considering any boundary modifications, a commitment that, according to the coalition, was never fulfilled. This lack of consultation deepens the sense of betrayal and disrespect felt by the tribal nations, who view their involvement not merely as a privilege but as an inherent right tied to their ancestral heritage.

Monte Mills, director of the Native American Law Center at the University of Washington, articulated that Monday’s reduction goes far beyond mere boundary adjustments, fundamentally redefining what the administration deems worthy of protection. The executive order’s language, dismissing significant cultural and natural features within the monument as "not of particular historic or scientific interest" and the landscape as "generic features" "not worthy of protection," represents a deliberate attempt to diminish the intrinsic value of these lands. "This isn’t just about, ‘Oh, we’re going to undo this monument,’" Mills explained, but rather about "trying to rewrite and trying to erase the real history and meaning and value of this place." He further posited that the proclamation aligns with a "broader project of white nationalism on the part of this administration," citing parallel actions such as the removal of signs from national parks that acknowledge Indigenous histories or the history of slavery. This interpretation suggests a systemic effort to reframe national narratives and priorities regarding public lands and cultural heritage.

Similar tensions have historically surrounded Grand Staircase-Escalante, originally established by President Bill Clinton in 1996. The Inter-Tribal Coalition expanded its advocacy last year to include the defense of this monument, emphasizing the critical need for integrating tribal perspectives into its management. Both Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante had finalized comprehensive resource management plans in 2025, following extensive public and tribal consultations aimed at weaving Indigenous knowledge into their stewardship. Bears Ears, in particular, had emerged as a national and international exemplar for Indigenous-led land management, showcasing a path toward more inclusive and culturally informed conservation. The recent reductions, therefore, not only threaten specific landscapes but also undermine a burgeoning model of collaborative conservation.

The volatility of these protective designations underscores the inherent vulnerability of tribal co-management initiatives to shifts in political power and influence. While Bears Ears has long been a focal point of debate, the current administration’s actions extend beyond specific monuments, signaling a broader overhaul of public lands 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 observed, highlighting a pervasive pattern. "In the same way this administration has reshaped the federal government, we’re seeing it play out across the public landscape." This systemic approach raises concerns among environmentalists, conservationists, and Indigenous rights advocates about the future of public lands across the nation.

Mills characterized the Bears Ears rollback as the federal government "fully stepping back from its obligations" to its tribal partners, notably doing so "at the behest of Utah politicians." State officials in Utah have maintained a contentious relationship with the national monuments within their borders. In scathing 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 undue "focus on eliminating the State’s rights from this land." Utah’s commentary further alleged "wholesale deference" to the Bears Ears Commission and an attempt to "create a new ‘Indian Country’" through the monument’s designation. The state also demanded greater inclusivity for "living, non-Indigenous people," arguing that the draft plan afforded "less respect, dignity and protections to their heritage when compared to the heritage of the area’s Indigenous people." These arguments reveal a fundamental ideological clash over land use, sovereignty, and the prioritization of different cultural and economic interests.

Utah, which previously sued over President Biden’s 2022 restoration of the monuments, also criticized the management plan for promoting a "state of non-use." President Trump echoed these sentiments during Monday’s proclamation signing ceremony, asserting, "You can’t go hunting. You can’t go fishing. You can’t do anything. You can virtually not even walk on it," claims that directly contradict the allowed activities within the monuments. These statements reflect a persistent narrative that monument designations restrict public access and hinder economic development, often overlooking the significant cultural, historical, and recreational values they protect.

The decision to shrink the monuments has been met with a chorus of opposition from tribal leaders, members of Congress, conservation groups, outdoor recreationalists, and local communities. On Tuesday, the Native American Rights Fund (NARF), which has provided legal representation for three of the Bears Ears commission tribes, declared that the president lacks the constitutional or statutory 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 NARF Deputy Director Matthew Campbell in a resolute statement, signaling imminent litigation. The legal battle is expected to hinge on interpretations of the Antiquities Act of 1906, which empowers presidents to designate national monuments but is ambiguous regarding the extent of their authority to rescind or significantly reduce such designations. Past legal challenges to monument reductions have yielded mixed results, leaving the ultimate authority in a contentious legal gray area.

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 designation, reduction, and restoration of monument boundaries "should be a signal to the judiciary that resolution is needed on these legal questions." She suggested that congressional action could provide a lasting solution by permanently protecting Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante and legislating robust frameworks for tribal co-management. 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."

Indeed, the spirit of resilience and determination among the tribal nations remains unwavering. Long before the Bears Ears Commission was officially established, the tribes united to form the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition, fighting tirelessly for the protection of the lands that eventually became the monument. That profound commitment, they assert, will continue unabated. "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." Her words echo the deep spiritual and cultural ties that bind Indigenous peoples to their ancestral territories, a bond that transcends political decrees and administrative shifts, ensuring that the fight for Bears Ears and other sacred lands will endure.