The Trump administration significantly diminished the size of two Utah national monuments, Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears, by approximately 90% each. Through executive proclamations issued under the Antiquities Act, the administration reduced Grand Staircase-Escalante from 1.87 million acres to 181,500 acres and Bears Ears from 1.36 million acres to 121,100 acres. The administration framed the reshaping as a way to expand opportunities for resource development, stating in a fact sheet that the released areas lack objects of historic or scientific interest.
The reductions include significant landmarks such as the Grand Staircase rock formation and the Valley of the Gods, an area containing rock formations sacred to the Navajo Nation. According to the Salt Lake Tribune, the cuts impact lands belonging to several Native American nations, including the Hopi Tribe, Navajo Nation, and Ute Mountain Ute Indian Tribe.
Bears Ears is home to more than 100,000 Native American archaeological sites, including cave drawings and intricate petroglyphs, according to the Inter-Tribal Coalition. Archaeology Southwest president and CEO Steve Nash stated that changes to monument boundaries represent a direct attack on sovereign Tribal Nations and their rights to manage ancestral homelands, noting that fragile archaeological resources are nearly impossible to recover once destroyed.
The administration's move has drawn criticism from various groups. Autumn Gillard, a member of the Southern Paiute and coordinator for the Grand Staircase-Escalante Inter-Tribal Coalition, said the six tribal nations in the group were not consulted and called the action a strike against the federal government's duty to consult with Tribes. New Mexico Senate Democrat Martin Heinrich also criticized the administration for ignoring Tribal voices.
Environmental advocacy organization Earthjustice has vowed to take legal action, arguing the president illegally revoked the protected status of millions of acres of federal land. This action follows previous reductions by the president during his first administration, which included an 85% reduction of Bears Ears and a roughly 50% reduction of Grand Staircase-Escalante.
Utah Republicans and the president defended the decision as a method to better care for specific sites rather than millions of surrounding acres. The monuments had previously returned to their Obama-era sizes after Biden took office in 2021.
