Bears Ears National Monument

This proclamation restores and expands the Bears Ears National Monument in Utah to approximately 1.36 million acres, reversing President Trump's 2017 reduction that removed over 1.1 million acres from protection. The proclamation re-establishes Antiquities Act protections for lands sacred to multiple Tribal Nations and rich in cultural, archaeological, and paleontological resources.

Federal Register Open PDF 86 FR 57321

Impact dates

Dec 4, 2017
Restore monument boundaries to pre-December 4, 2017 status plus approximately 11,200 acres added by Proclamation 9681

Key directives

Restore monument boundaries to pre-December 4, 2017 status plus approximately 11,200 acres added by Proclamation 9681
Reserve approximately 1.36 million acres as smallest area compatible with protection
Withdraw lands from public land, mining, and mineral leasing laws
Appropriate Federal lands and interests within monument boundaries

Timeline

Immediate

Monument boundaries restored to approximately 1.36 million acres
Federal lands withdrawn from public land, mining, and mineral leasing laws
Proclamation 9681 boundary reduction superseded

Near term (90d)

Federal land management agencies to implement monument management
Potential legal challenges to proceed or resolve

Long term

Long-term protection of cultural and scientific resources
Continued tribal co-management through Bears Ears Commission
Ongoing paleontological and archaeological research

Risks & tensions

Legal uncertainty about presidential authority to reduce monument boundaries remains unresolved; proclamation notes December 4, 2017 was first such reduction since FLPMA 1976
Potential for renewed litigation challenging restoration or original monument size
Tension between conservation/tribal interests and extraction/recreation access interests
Vague ongoing management specifics left to agency implementation