Amy Dominguez, amy.dominguez@sierraclub.org
Salt Lake City – The Trump administration today signed an executive order intended to dismantle Southern Utah’s national monuments, Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante. It is the administration’s latest effort in a long line of attacks that threaten cherished public lands.
The action eliminates nearly 3 million acres of protections across both national monuments, undoing decades of conservation efforts to protect defining landscapes that Utahns are deeply connected to. It also goes directly against the historic federal and intertribal collaborative management authority for Bears Ears, and landmark Tribal co-stewardship framework for Grand Staircase-Escalante, defying the sovereignty of Native Nations and the federal government’s duty of Tribal consultation.
Since 2017, the administration has long attempted to industrialize and privatize public lands, demeaning efforts by Indigenous and other local advocacy groups who depend on public lands and waters for local economies, drinking water, and quality of life. President Trump’s unprecedented actions were immediately challenged by Tribes and conservation and outdoor business groups in federal court, and those lawsuits are still pending.
In response, Franque Bains, Chapter Director of the Sierra Club in Utah, released the following statement:
“Public lands and cherished national monuments like Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante hold a profound significance for Indigenous communities in Utah, and for anybody who values the ability to explore and enjoy open spaces, wildlife, and stewardship. But the landscapes we love are being used as pawns in a political back-and-forth that jeopardizes culturally significant landscapes, wildlife, and local economies to instead prioritize industry and privatization. Decisions like the ones made today aren’t aligned with what Utahns want to see for the future of these beloved national monuments. They deserve lasting protections that reflect their immeasurable value, and keep them from being commodified.”
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About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.