Tribal Nations Reaffirm Commitment to Bears Ears Following Monument Rollbacks
The five Tribal Nations of the Bears Ears Commission remain committed to protecting their sacred ancestral homelands through collaborative management and Tribal leadership.
BEARS EARS NATIONAL MONUMENT, Utah, July 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Yesterday, President Trump issued a proclamation dramatically reducing Bears Ears National Monument and terminating the Bears Ears Commission, undermining years of progress in collaborative management. The decision weakens protections for a living cultural landscape and sacred ancestral homeland that has been cared for by Indigenous peoples since time immemorial and is a major setback to one of the nation's most extraordinary models of collaborative management of public lands between Tribal Nations and federal agencies.
The significance of Bears Ears cannot be reduced to a handful of individual sites or separate management areas. Tribal Nations understand Bears Ears as an interconnected living cultural landscape, where the land itself—and the relationships among its cultural sites, waters, plants, animals, and sacred places—are what must be protected.
Over the past several years, the Bears Ears Commission has worked alongside the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service in developing and implementing the Bears Ears Resource Management Plan, a collaborative management framework grounded in Traditional Indigenous Knowledge and western science. The plan remains a historic achievement, demonstrating how Tribal leadership, Indigenous Knowledge, and western science can work together to care for one of America's most significant regions in a way that protects the cultural, historical, ecological, and scientific values that make Bears Ears cherished by Tribal Nations and all who visit and experience it.
In June 2025, the Department of the Interior stated in writing that, if it considered changes to the boundaries, management, or designation of Bears Ears National Monument, it would contact the Bears Ears Commission to schedule a meeting. While the Commission expected meaningful government-to-government consultation and the Department's written commitment to be honored before decisions affecting Bears Ears National Monument were made, no such consultation occurred. The proclamation also terminates the Bears Ears Commission, despite years of collaborative work carried out through the Commission and its government-to-government relationship with federal agencies.
The President's action not only reneges on the Department's assurances in the June 2025 letter, but is also contrary to the terms establishing the Commission in Proclamation 10285 and the Inter-Governmental Cooperative Agreement between the Commission Tribes, the Bureau of Land Management, and the U.S. Forest Service for collaborative management of the Monument.
In addition to reducing the Monument and terminating the Bears Ears Commission, the proclamation directs that lands removed from the Monument may be reopened to mineral leasing and mining after 60 days, subject to applicable law.
Tribal leaders from the five sovereign Tribal Nations of the Bears Ears Commission—the Hopi Tribe, Navajo Nation, Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah & Ouray Reservation, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, and Pueblo of Zuni—issued the following statements, reaffirming that their responsibility to care for Bears Ears remains unchanged and that they will continue working to protect this sacred ancestral homeland for future generations.
"Bears Ears is part of our history, our stories, and our identity. Though the Zuni Pueblo is not within Utah presently, our ancestors traveled through and lived in this region on their journey to our Middle Place, our ancestor's footprint is everywhere across the landscape. Reducing the Monument's protections disregards the deep cultural and spiritual connections we continue to hold. This landscape needs more care informed by Traditional Indigenous Knowledge—not less of it—and its protection should reflect the voices of those who carry its meaning forward." – Anthony Sanchez Jr., Head Councilman of the Zuni Tribe and Co-Chair of the Bears Ears Commission
"As Diné, our connection to Bears Ears is living and ongoing. This landscape holds our prayers, our medicines, and the stories of our ancestors. Reducing protections is deeply disappointing. It threatens sacred places and disregards the Traditional Knowledge needed to care for them. We are not visitors here; we are locals, and we are still here. We will continue to stand for the defense of our homelands." – Curtis Yanito, Navajo Nation Council Delegate and Bears Ears Commission Co-Chair
"The Bears Ears region is our homeland. Our ancestors lived, hunted, gathered, and prayed here long before boundaries were drawn. The Ute Mountain Ute people were forcefully removed from these lands, but our connection to this sacred place cannot be erased. We are deeply disappointed by the decision to dramatically reduce Bears Ears National Monument. No matter what actions the U.S. government takes, we will continue to carry our history forward, build community, and protect this landscape through our traditions and teachings." – Gwen Cantsee, Vice Chairwoman for the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe and Bears Ears Commissioner
"The Creator entrusted the Hopi people with the responsibility to serve as stewards of the land. A change in federal policy does not change that responsibility. Bears Ears is an essential part of Hopitutskwa, our ancestral lands. Our Motisinom and Hisatsinom traveled through and lived within this landscape, leaving place names, petroglyphs, cultural belongings and stories that continue to guide us. These connections existed long before today's state and reservation boundaries were drawn. We are deeply disappointed that this decision was made without the meaningful government-to-government consultation the federal government had promised, particularly after the Tribal Nations spent years working collaboratively and in good faith with federal agencies. The Hopi Tribe remains ready to work government-to-government to protect this sacred landscape for our children, our grandchildren and all future generations." – Mikah Kewanimptewa, Vice Chairman of the Hopi Tribe and Bears Ears Commissioner
"The Bears Ears landscape has always been part of our seasonal migrations, a place where our people gathered medicines, hunted game, and connected to the power of the land through ceremony. Reducing Bears Ears is deeply disappointing. This was not just an opportunity to heal from past removals, but a chance to lead with Traditional Indigenous Knowledge and protect a living cultural landscape for future generations. The Ute Indian Tribe remains committed to conserving these ancestral homelands." – Betsy Chapoose, Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation Cultural Rights and Protection Director and Designated Proxy to the Bears Ears Commission
Our Commitment Continues
The Bears Ears Resource Management Plan represents years of collaboration among Tribal Nations and federal agencies. It reflects Tribal leadership and demonstrates how stewardship rooted in respect, collaboration, and care can benefit Bears Ears for generations to come.
Although yesterday's proclamation purports to terminate the Bears Ears Commission, it cannot erase the relationships or the years of collaborative work that Tribal Nations have invested in caring for Bears Ears.
While yesterday's decision represents an affront to the Tribal Nations of the Bears Ears Commission and a significant setback to the Commission's work, it does not diminish our responsibility to this landscape or the progress that has already been made. The five Tribal Nations remain committed to protecting Bears Ears and advancing collaborative stewardship that honors Tribal sovereignty and the enduring relationship between Indigenous peoples and this sacred landscape.
We Are Still Here
Long before Bears Ears was declared a national monument, it was a sacred ancestral homeland for Tribal Nations, and it remains so. No political decision can sever our connection to this place, erase our histories, or diminish our responsibility to care for it. Our ancestors lived here and our cultures continue to thrive here. Our responsibility endures, and we will continue this work for our children, our grandchildren, and the generations yet to come.
About the Bears Ears Commission
The Bears Ears Commission is composed of five Tribal Nations—the Hopi Tribe, Navajo Nation, Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah & Ouray Reservation, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, and Zuni Tribe—who work collaboratively with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service to manage and steward Bears Ears National Monument. The Bears Ears Commission exemplifies collaborative management between sovereign Tribal Nations and the federal government. The Commission was established following the designation of Bears Ears National Monument in 2016.
About the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition (BEITC): The BEITC is a fiscally sponsored project of the Resources Legacy Fund, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, which relies on charitable giving to support the Bears Ears Commission in fulfilling its collaborative management responsibilities. Follow the Coalition on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Bluesky.
SOURCE Bears Ears Commission
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