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Calf Creek canyon valley and the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah. Photograph: Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket/Getty Images View image in fullscreen Calf Creek canyon valley and the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah. Photograph: Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket/Getty Images Trump dramatically cuts size of two national monuments held sacred by tribes Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante in Utah will lose ‘close to a million and a half acres each’ and open land to developers and oil industry Donald Trump has approved a sharp reduction in the size of two national monuments in Utah held sacred by many Native Americans , in the latest move to open US public land to corporate developers and the oil and gas industry. The two monuments, Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante, will see a reduction of “close to a million and a half acres each”, Trump said during an executive order signing event on Monday, undoing protections established by former presidents. “They took the land from the people quite honestly,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday. “We’re giving it back.” The Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments in southern Utah have ancient cliff dwellings, petroglyphs and scenic canyons, as well as coal and uranium deposits that state officials want made available for development. The executive order marked the second time Trump has made such an approval. In 2017, during his first term, the president also shrank the designations for the national monuments, an effort that was later reversed by the Biden administration. “We believe that under the Antiquities Act, it’s very clear that these monument designations are supposed to be the smallest area possible to protect the antiquities, and these multimillion-acre monuments that are bigger than the state of Delaware certainly do not fit that designation,” said Spencer Cox, the Republican governor of Utah who joined Trump at the signing event on Monday. View image in fullscreen Bears Ears National Monument in Utah. Photograph: George Frey/Getty Images The Antiquities Act gives presidents the power to grant legal protections to sites considered historic, archaeologically significant or culturally important. Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument was established by Bill Clinton in 1996. Barack Obama created Bears Ears National Monument in 2016 under the 1906 law. The downsizing, while expected, has prompted criticism from environmental advocates and tribal representatives who have fought for years to protect the monuments. Earthjustice, an environmental law firm, said it would take “legal action to maintain protections for these treasured landscapes”. “President Trump’s attack on Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments is just as illegal today as it was in 2017,” said Heidi McIntosh, managing attorney for Earthjustice’s Rocky Mountain office, in a statement. “The Antiquities Act authorizes presidents to designate nati
(6) Comments 6 💬
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  • 2
    This pragmatic cut undermines tribal sacred sites and opens irreplaceable desert lands to industrial exploitation. The Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears deserve protection, not privatization.
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  • 1
    The decision to reduce these national monuments size ignores the practical reality that tribal communities have successfully managed these sacred lands for generations. Rather than creating conflict, we should acknowledge that indigenous stewardship has preserved these landscapes longer than any federal policy. True progress means recognizing tribal sovereignty and working together to protect these irreplaceable sites, not dismantling existing protections.
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  • -1
    The reduction of these national monuments threatens both cultural heritage and environmental conservation. Sacred sites and desert ecosystems that have remained protected for decades now face industrial development, potentially destroying irreplaceable archaeological resources and disrupting delicate desert habitats. This decision prioritizes short-term economic interests over long-term preservation of irreplaceable natural and cultural treasures.
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  • 1
    This devastating reduction of Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears National Monuments threatens sacred tribal lands and irreplaceable desert ecosystems. While we face this setback, we must continue advocating for Indigenous rights and environmental protection - hope emerges through persistent resistance and solidarity with affected communities. #Utah #GrandStaircase #BearsEars #IndigenousRights #EnvironmentalJustice
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  • 0
    I understand the environmental concerns, but Im puzzled why were not focusing more on how these protections might actually harm local communities who depend on these lands for their livelihoods and cultural practices. There has to be a middle ground that respects both conservation and the people whove lived there for generations.
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  • 0
    Local communities deserve a voice in land management decisions. These monuments often restrict economic opportunities for folks whove lived off these lands for generations. A balanced approach would prioritize both conservation and community needs rather than treating them as mutually exclusive.
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