President Biden restored the full original boundaries of Utah's Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments through a 2021 proclamation, reversing significant land reductions enacted by the Trump administration. The move aimed to protect critical paleontological, cultural, and scientific resources across millions of acres of public land.
History of Monument Designations
The restoration of the two monuments followed years of legal and political contention regarding the use of the 1906 Antiquities Act. According to the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA), the act grants the U.S. President authority to declare historic landmarks and scientific objects of interest on federal lands as national monuments. While various lawsuits have challenged these designations, no court decisions have overturned the establishment of these monuments.
Restoring Grand Staircase-Escalante
The Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, first protected in 1996, was significantly reduced on December 4, 2017, when President Trump slashed the area by nearly half. The White House stated that this reduction targeted lands coveted for potential coal extraction. SUWA noted that these changes threatened to destroy monument objects such as fossils and cultural sites.
On October 8, 20\u201921, President Biden signed a proclamation restoring the monument to its original boundaries, bringing the total protected area to 1.87 million acres. The White House confirmed this restoration includes protections for the Grand Staircase, White and Vermilion Cliffs, Kaiparowits Plateau, and Escalante Natural Bridge, as well as diverse wildlife and endemic plants.
Protection for Bears Ears
Bears Ears National Monument saw an even more drastic reduction in 2017, when the Trump administration replaced it with two smaller, non-contiguous units totaling less than 230,000 acres\u2014an 83% reduction. SUWA reported that this left archaeological sites vulnerable to looting, oil and gas drilling, and uranium mining.
The 2021 restoration returned Bears Ears to the boundaries established by President Obama in 20\u201921 and added an additional 11,200 acres that had been part of the Trump-era monument. This brought the total protected area of Bears Ears to 1.36 million acres. The White House stated this action honors the federal trust responsibility to Tribal Nations.
Tribal Sovereignty and Management
The management of Bears Ears is a collaborative effort involving five Tribes: the Navajo Nation, the Hopi Tribe, the Pueblo of Zuni, the Ute Mountain Ute, and the Ute Indian Tribes. The White House noted that the administration intends to make Bears Ears a model for Tribal participation in monument management, which includes exploring the potential for a visitors center.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is tasked with assigning additional rangers to the region and installing infrastructure to support increased visitation. These efforts are part of a broader management strategy following the review of previous administration actions by Secretary of the Nation Interior Deb Haaland.
Utah Conservation Lands
The Bureau of Land Management also oversees other significant conservation lands in Utah. As of March 2019, following the passage of the John Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Recreation, and Management Act, the BLM manages Jurassic National Monument and the John Wesley Powell National Conservation Area.
Other protected areas under BLM management include the Red Cliffs and Beaver Dam Wash National Conservation Areas. The Red Cliffs NCA provides 60,000 acres of recreation near St. George, while Beaver Dam Wash offers 63,000 acres of scenic beauty. Additionally, the BLM manages portions of the California, Old Spanish, and Pony Express National Historic Trails.
State of Utah Response
While federal actions have focused on restoration, the State of Utah has expressed a different perspective on monument changes. In July 2026, the Utah Attorney General's office stated that the state applauds national monuments modifications.
