President Donald Trump signed proclamations in Denver that attempt to shrink the boundaries of the Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears national monuments by about 90 percent. The reduction would decrease Bears Ears National Monument by over 1.2 million acres and Grand Staircase-Escalante by nearly 1.7 million acres.
During the signing, President Trump stated that visitors are unable to hunt, fish, or walk on the lands. Deputy Interior Secretary Kate MacGregor supported this claim, though the source notes that both monuments explicitly allow hunting, fishing, and outdoor recreation according to Utah's hunting regulations.
The new proclamations also attempt to make the land originally within the monument boundaries available for sale or lease to oil, gas, mining, and logging companies starting in 60 days.
Additionally, the Bears Ears proclamation seeks to disband the Bears Ears Commission, which was established at the request of five Tribal nations. The new order would replace it with an advisory committee that the Center for Western Priorities states would drastically dilute Tribal input.
Aaron Weiss, Executive Director of the Center for Western Priorities, criticized the use of false information in the documents presented to the president. Weiss also stated that the language in the proclamation attempts to sell off public lands, a move he linked to previous efforts by Senator Mike Lee.
The proclamations come amid data showing significant public support for existing monument protections. A 2024 poll on behalf of the Grand Canyon Trust found that 71 percent of Utah voters support keeping Bears Ears as a national monument and 74 percent support keeping Grand Staircase-Escalante.
Furthermore, 89 percent of Western voters, including 83 percent of Republicans, believe national monument designations made over the past decade should remain in place, according to a 2025 Colorado College poll.
