Tag Archives: Bears Ears National Monument

Back and forth?: Trump shrank Bears Ears. Will Biden return it to its original size?

“As President, Biden will take immediate steps to reverse the Trump administration’s assaults on America’s natural treasures, including by reversing Trump’s attacks on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Bears Ears, and Grand Staircase-Escalante.” That’s what the Biden-Harris Plan for Tribal … Continue reading

Published in January 2021 Tagged

What does the future hold for the Bears Ears monument?

The Bears Ears National Monument Advisory Committee will meet in Monticello, Utah, on Feb. 25. This is the second meeting of the committee, which met for the first time in June 2019. Thirty minutes each day are allocated for public … Continue reading

Published in February 2020 Tagged

Taking it to the people? As the Navajo-majority commission seeks to reverse course on fighting the Bears Ears reduction, there is a call for a referendum

San Juan County, Utah, Commissioner Bruce Adams – now the only Republican on the three-member county commission – is urging his fellow commissioners to put Bears Ears National Monument to a vote of the people before taking any further actions … Continue reading

Published in May 2019 Tagged

Visiting with respect: As publicity draws more people to Bears Ears, a nonprofit opens an educational center

Bluff, Utah — Nearly two years after its creation, Bears Ears National Monument remains mired in controversy. Originally 1.35 million acres in size, it was reduced by 85 percent by President Trump in December 2017. That action is still being … Continue reading

Published in October 2018 Tagged

Navajos reject bill shrinking Bears Ears

In an effort to shore up support for legislation that would codify President Trump’s changes to Bears Ears National Monument, Utah Congressman John Curtis accepted an invitation from Navajo Chapter presidents to meet with them at the Mexican Water chapter … Continue reading

Published in March 2018 Tagged

Monument rollback: Trump dices Bears Ears, Grand Staircase-Escalante into five tracts; Utahns cheer but lawsuits begin

President Trump thumbed his nose at the legacy of two of his predecessors, Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, issuing proclamations on Dec. 4 slashing the national monuments they had designated in Utah. Trump’s orders would reduce Bears Ears National Monument … Continue reading

Published in December 2017 Tagged

Filling in the gaps: A new book fleshes out the Bears Ears story with native testimony

Have you wondered if the people quoted in published news have more to say than the broadcast time or news space allows? If so, and you have been following the stories of Bears Ears National Monument, you are in luck. … Continue reading

Published in July 2017 Tagged

Hibernation ends for Bears Ears: Obama makes a long-awaited monument proclamation, sparking mixed responses

Both delight and rage greeted President Obama’s designation of the Bears Ears National Monument on Dec. 28. Native American tribes hailed the historic inclusion of five tribes in the monument’s management, while environmentalists and archaeologists praised the idea of protecting … Continue reading

Published in January 2017 Tagged

Presidential proclamation inspires a protest

In northern San Juan County, Utah, President Obama is a man who can do nothing right – the worst President ever. So the day after he proclaimed a new national monument encompassing 1.35 million rugged acres in the county, residents … Continue reading

Published in January 2017 Tagged

Bears Ears: The clock is ticking

Critics hope any national-monument designation can be undone under the Trump administration — but it won’t be easy Time is running down on the Obama administration, and in the Four Corners area, a lot of people are holding their breath. Less … Continue reading

Published in December 2016 Tagged

Sparks fly over differing Bears Ears proposals

Long-awaited legislation to define management of 18 million acres of federal land in Utah got a hearing before a House committee in September, but it appears unlikely to become law before President Obama leaves office. The Utah Public Lands Initiative, … Continue reading

Published in November 2016 Tagged

Differing views of a landscape: The Bears Ears battleground attracts a record crowd at a meeting in Bluff

A July 16 listening session in Bluff, Utah, with Interior Secretary Sally Jewell brought together two factions with diametrically opposed views on public lands management. One group supports the Utah Public Lands Initiative Act, introduced by U.S. representatives Rob Bishop … Continue reading

Published in August 2016 Tagged ,

PLI legislation is introduced at last: Supporters say it’s the right solution; critics, that it’s too little, too late

Just prior to Interior Secretary Sally’s Jewell’s July 16 listening session in Bluff, Utah, about a possible Bears Ears National Monument, U.S. representatives Rob Bishop and Jason Chaffetz, both Utah Republicans, introduced the long-awaited final Public Lands Initiative bill. Among … Continue reading

Published in August 2016 Tagged ,

Crunch time for a public-lands bill: Will Utah’s ‘Grand Bargain’ succeed, or be quashed by opponents?

Can clashing interests in eastern Utah agree to a compromise for public-lands management? The coming months should see an answer to that question. After nearly six years of meetings, discussions, and give-and-take, Utah Congressmen Rob Bishop and Jason Chaffetz have … Continue reading

Published in February 2016 Tagged

Tribal coalition pulls out of Utah legislative process

In a surprise development, the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition says it is pulling out of negotiations with the Utah congressional delegation charged with developing recommendations for a massive public-lands bill. In a Dec. 31 letter to Utah congressmen Rob Bishop … Continue reading

Published in January 2016 Tagged

A monumental idea: A coalition of tribes asks President Obama to use the Antiquities Act to protect a swath of Utah lands

On Oct. 15 the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition, a partnership of five southwestern native tribes, presented a groundbreaking proposal to President Obama’s administration to turn a large swath of public lands in southern Utah into a national monument. The coalition, … Continue reading

Published in November 2015 Tagged ,

Monument idea prompts mixed reactions

The call by a coalition of five American Indian tribes for a 1.9-million-acre Bears Ears National Monument is opposed by the commissioners of San Juan County, Utah, where the monument would be, as well as many others in the huge … Continue reading

Published in November 2015 Tagged ,