Published July 13, 2026 05:12 pm
President Trump signed an executive order on July 13 reducing the size of two national monuments in Utah by nearly 3 million acres, leaving them at a fraction of their originally designated size.
under him newly signed orderTrump reduced Bears Ears National Monument by about 121,000 acres and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument by about 182,000 acres.
Previously, Bears Ears National Monument covered 1.36 million acres and Grand Staircase-Escalante totaled 1.9 million acres.
Utah Senator Mike Lee, a Republican, praised the move.
“For too long, presidents have weaponized monument designations to close millions of acres, close roads, restrict grazing, and strip rural communities from the lands on which their families have lived and worked for generations,” Lee said in a release. “I thank the President for correcting this abuse and keeping his promise to the people of Utah.”
Tribes and advocates condemn executive order
The move drew intense backlash from advocates, Native American tribes and other lawmakers, who condemned the move as an attack on federally protected public lands.
“Our tribes were not informed of or asked about this decision, and that is unacceptable. The federal government must honor its trust and treaty obligations to our tribes – it is not optional,” said Autumn Gillard, a member of the Southern Paiute Tribe and coordinator of the Grand Staircase-Escalante Inter-Tribal Coalition.
President Obama used his authority under the Antiquities Act to establish Bears Ears National Monument in 2016. Five tribal nations, known as the Bears Ears Commission, contributed to the original proposal, including the Navajo Nation, Hopi Tribe, Pueblo of Zuni, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, and Ute Indian Tribe.
according to dillApproximately 100,000 irreplaceable archaeological and cultural sites were covered by the proclamation.
U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich, a Democrat from New Mexico, said the move reflected the administration’s desire to “keep billionaires and powerful industries ahead of America’s public lands.”
“These are not museums. They are living cultural landscapes that hold deep meaning and direct connection to tribal communities today. Issuing this executive action without government-to-government consultation is a slap in the face to all the tribes who have fought for generations to protect these sacred places,” Heinrich said in a release.
Tracy Stone-Manning, president of the Wilderness Society and former head of the Bureau of Land Management, said the move was “on the wrong side of history.”
“National monuments protect extraordinary wildlife, irreplaceable cultural and tribal heritage, and our freedom to explore some of our nation’s iconic landscapes. They belong to all of us,” Stone-Manning said in a statement. “As our nation celebrates 250 years, these public lands must be handed over, not to drilling and mining interests. The Wilderness Society will fight this attack and stand with all who work to protect these remarkable places.”
For decades, politicians have battled over the size of the two monuments, with many Republicans pushing for more local control to pave the way for grazing and other industries. Along with Trump, presidents have also looked at the size of monuments. Their area decreased in 2017 And President Biden is reinstating them in 2021.
Steve Bloch, legal director of the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA), said, “We are deeply disappointed but not surprised that at the urging of anti-people lands enthusiasts like Senator Mike Lee, President Trump is ready to once again attack the Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears National Monuments.” Salt Lake Tribune.
Attack on Antiquities Act
In his order, President Trump said the monument’s designation “contains numerous flaws under the Antiquities Act,” which requires that the reservation of federal lands for a national monument be limited to “the smallest area compatible with the proper care and management of the objects to be preserved.”
The proclamation also claimed that the designation of monuments was unnecessary to protect many historical and scientific resources.
The order reads, “The relative uniformity of these cultural resources within the broader area suggests that specific examples of such objects found within the monument are not of particular historical or scientific interest.” “For example, lithic scatters, projectile points, prehistoric camp sites, petroglyphs, and pictographs are found throughout the American West and are not unique to the Bears Ears area.”
Conservationists disagree, noting that both areas are home to thousands of years of indigenous history and culture and hold ecological value.
The Sierra Club wrote in an article, “For Utahns, Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante are not political talking points – they are living landscapes that sustain wildlife, support local economies and connect people to some of the world’s most extraordinary places.” statement. “Any effort to destroy these monuments ignores the years of work by tribal nations, local communities, scientists, sportsmen, businesses and conservationists who have fought to protect these landscapes.”
Under the Executive Order, the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture will jointly maintain a management plan for the monuments. The proclamation is expected to take effect within 60 days, on September 11, 2026.
