President Donald Trump has signed proclamations dramatically reducing the size of Utah’s Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments, drawing praise from Utah officials and livestock organizations while prompting opposition from Tribal coalitions and conservation groups.
According to the White House, the July 13 proclamations reduce Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument from about 1.87 million acres to roughly 181,500 acres, and Bears Ears National Monument from approximately 1.36 million acres to about 121,100 acres. The administration said the changes preserve the historic and scientific sites protected under the Antiquities Act while returning surrounding lands to multiple-use management for activities such as livestock grazing, energy development, hunting, timber production, recreation and infrastructure projects.
The latest action marks another chapter in the shifting boundaries of both monuments across three presidential administrations.
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument was established by President Bill Clinton in 1996 at approximately 1.7 million acres. During Trump’s first term, the monument was reduced by roughly 860,000 acres before President Joe Biden restored it to approximately 1.87 million acres in 2021.
Bears Ears followed a similar path. President Barack Obama designated the monument in 2016 at approximately 1.35 million acres. Trump reduced the monument by more than 1.1 million acres in 2017 while adding about 11,200 acres elsewhere within the monument boundaries. Biden restored the original boundaries in 2021.
Utah leaders applaud decision
Utah elected officials welcomed the administration’s action, arguing it restores a balance between conservation and local land management.
Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) said the proclamation demonstrates respect for both Utah communities and congressional intent behind the Antiquities Act.
“For too long, presidents have weaponized monument designations to lock up millions of acres, close roads, restrict grazing, and cut rural communities off from lands their families have lived on and worked for generations,” Lee said, thanking Trump for “correcting this abuse.”
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R) said the revised boundaries allow managers to concentrate resources on protecting the area’s most significant archaeological and cultural sites.
“These modified boundaries don’t diminish protection, they focus it,” Cox said, adding he believes the changes will improve long-term preservation of the state’s historic and scientific resources.
Utah lawmakers said the revised boundaries better reflect the original purpose of the Antiquities Act by protecting significant cultural and historic sites without placing larger surrounding landscapes under monument status. They said the changes return a greater voice to local communities, expand opportunities for multiple-use activities such as grazing and recreation, and continue protecting important resources while reducing what they view as unnecessary land restrictions.
Ranching groups cite grazing impacts
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) and Public Lands Council (PLC) also praised the decision, saying they have spent more than a decade opposing monument expansions they believe threatened livestock grazing across southern Utah.
Kaitlynn Glover, NCBA executive director of natural resources and PLC executive director, said the revised boundaries represent positive news for producers and rural communities that rely on public lands.
“Protecting special areas and safeguarding cultural and economic productivity should not be at odds,” Glover said, arguing previous administrations ignored both Utah residents and the Antiquities Act by designating broad landscapes rather than discrete historic sites.
The organizations pointed to a 2015 University of Utah study concluding that reductions in available animal unit months under monument management plans resulted in more than $9 million in lost productivity for two Utah counties. They argued those losses ripple through rural economies already affected by extensive federal land ownership.
Tribal leaders left out
Tribal representatives strongly opposed the proclamations, saying Native nations were left out of the decision despite years of involvement in managing and protecting the monuments.
Autumn Gillard, coordinator for the Grand Staircase-Escalante Inter-Tribal Coalition, said coalition members received “zero consultation” before the administration announced the reductions, according to the Utah News Dispatch.
Gillard questioned repeated claims that local stakeholders had been heard while Tribal governments were not included. She also expressed concern that language in the Grand Staircase-Escalante proclamation highlighting deposits of copper, iron, titanium, zinc and other critical minerals could open previously protected areas to expanded mining activity. Gillard warned such development could threaten cultural resources, disturb ancestral burial sites and increase risks to Colorado River water supplies.
Davina Smith-Idjesa, Navajo Nation representative and co-chair of the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition, called the renewed reduction devastating and said eliminating the Bears Ears Commission undermines years of collaboration between Tribal nations and federal agencies.
Conservation groups to challenge
Environmental organizations quickly condemned the proclamations and indicated another round of litigation is likely.
Earthjustice argued the reductions go even further than those ordered during Trump’s first term, leaving Bears Ears at about 8.9% of its previous size and Grand Staircase-Escalante at approximately 9.7%.
Managing Attorney Heidi McIntosh said the Antiquities Act authorizes presidents to establish national monuments but not eliminate or substantially dismantle them. She said it is prepared again to challenge the proclamations in court alongside partner organizations.
The Wilderness Society also criticized the action. President Tracy Stone-Manning said the administration ignored Tribal nations, local communities and millions of Americans who support monument protections, arguing public lands should remain protected rather than opened to expanded drilling and mining.
Backcountry Hunters & Anglers expressed concern about both the process and potential long-term impacts. President and CEO Ryan “Cal” Callaghan said changing management across millions of acres without public input raises questions about future habitat protection, wildfire response, watershed restoration and road maintenance as federal land management agencies continue operating with fewer personnel. — Charles Wallace, WLJ contributing editor
