Recognizable by its iconic pair of cliffs rising out of the red rock landscape in the southeastern corner of Utah, Bears Ears National Monument has been at the center of a high profile controversy ever since President Barack Obama secured its status as a National Monument in 2016.
Archaeologists estimate that Native peoples have lived at or near Bears Ears for 700 years, though the descendants of those inhabitants claim that their connection to the land goes much farther back than that, to the origins of humanity. It is home to powerful spirits and ceremonial structures used to communicate with those spirits for the Hopi Nation, Navajo Nation, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah Ouray, and Zuni Tribe. All of those groups have reservations nearby but still depend on Bears Ears for religious purposes.
In December of 2016, the Obama administration issued a proclamation that preserved Bears Ears as a National Monument because of the cultural significance as well as the natural beauty that makes it a coveted spot for outdoors enthusiasts.1U.S. President, Proclamation, “Establishment of the Bears Ears National Monument” (December 28, 2016). https://www.blm.gov/sites/blm.gov/files/documents/files/2016bearsears.prc_.rel_.pdf There was immediate celebration from Native Americans and environmentalists as well as backlash from those who believed that it was a classic example of federal overreach from a Democratic President.
One year later, President Donald Trump issued another proclamation to reduce the size of the monument to 15% of what it originally was, leaving the rest available for mining, oil drilling, and construction. The tribes involved and several environmental advocacy groups quickly filed lawsuits against the administration, the results of which are expected in the coming weeks.
