The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) and the National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers (NATHPO) are condemning recent presidential proclamations that significantly reduce the size of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments. According to a statement released by the organizations, the reductions decrease Bears Ears National Monument by approximately 91 percent and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument by approximately 90 percent.
The NCAI and NATHPO stated that these actions represent a direct attack on Tribal sovereignty, sacred places, and cultural resources. The organizations argued that stripping protections from these interconnected homelands exposes ancestral burial grounds and ceremonial areas to threats such as industrial development, extraction, looting, and vandalism.
The NCAI noted that Bears Ears was established through the unified leadership of several tribes, including the Hopi Tribe, Navajo Nation, Ute Indian Tribe, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, and Pueblo of Zuni. This framework was intended to support Indigenous land stewardship.
Similarly, the Grand Staircase-Escalante region holds significant spiritual and historical importance for members of the Grand Staircase-Escalante Inter-Tribal Coalition, which includes the Hopi Tribe, Kaibab Band of Paiute Indians, Navajo Nation, Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, and Zuni Tribe.
The NCAI's opposition is based on established organizational policies. Specifically, Resolution #SEA-25-002 urged Congress to ensure that only Congress holds the authority to modify or revoke national monument designations. Additionally, Resolution #EC-15-002 called for the permanent protection of the 1.9 million-acre Bears Ears region and a Federal-Tribal Collaborative Management framework.
NCAI and NATHPO have called on the administration to rescind the proclamations, restore full monument boundaries, and immediately halt new development or extraction activities on the reduced lands while legal challenges are ongoing. They also requested that the administration engage in meaningful nation-to-nation consultation with affected Tribal Nations.
The organizations expressed support for the Bears Ears Commission and the Grand Staircase-Escalante Inter-Tribal Coalition in their ongoing litigation, specifically mentioning the Garfield County v. Biden case, which was recently remanded to the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah.
