| Bears Ears National Monument | |
|---|---|
| Hoon’Naqvut (Hopi) Shash Jaaʼ (Navajo)[1] Kwiyaghatʉ Nükavachi (Ute) Ansh An Lashokdiwe (Zuni) | |
 Bears Ears buttes in daytime | |
   | |
| Location | Utah, United States |
| Nearest city | Blanding, Utah |
| Coordinates | 37°37′47″N 109°52′03″W / 37.62961°N 109.86760°W |
| Area | 1,360,000 acres (2,120 sq mi; 5,500 km2) |
| Established | December 28, 2016 |
| Governing body | Bureau of Land Management/United States Forest Service |
| Website | Bears Ears National Monument |
Bears Ears National Monument is a United States national monument located in San Juan County in southeastern Utah, established by President Barack Obama by presidential proclamation on December 28, 2016. The monument protects 1,351,849 acres (2,112.264 sq mi; 5,470.74 km2) of public land surrounding the Bears Ears—a pair of buttes—and the Indian Creek corridor rock climbing area. The Native American names for the buttes have the same meaning in each of the languages represented in the region. The names are listed in the presidential proclamation as "Hoon’Naqvut, Shash Jáa [sic],[2] Kwiyaghatʉ Nükavachi/Kwiyagatu Nukavachi, Ansh An Lashokdiwe"—all four mean "Bears Ears".[3][4]
The area within the monument is largely undeveloped and contains a wide array of historic, cultural and natural resources. The monument is co-managed by the Bureau of Land Management and United States Forest Service (through the Manti-La Sal National Forest), along with a coalition of five local Native American tribes: the Navajo Nation, Hopi, Ute Mountain Ute, Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation, and the Pueblo of Zuni, all of which have ancestral ties to the region.
The monument includes the area around the Bears Ears formation and adjacent land to the southeast along the Comb Ridge formation, as well as Indian Creek Canyon to the northeast. The monument also includes the Valley of the Gods to the south, the western part of the Manti-La Sal National Forest's Monticello unit, and the Dark Canyon Wilderness to the north and west.
A proclamation issued by President Donald Trump on December 4, 2017, reduced the monument by 85% to 201,876 acres (315 sq mi; 817 km2)[5]—an unprecedented and exceptionally large reduction in the history of U.S. national monuments.[6] President Joe Biden restored the territory removed by Trump on October 8, 2021.[7][8]
- ^ Begaye, Russell; Nez, Jonathan (2016). "Partnering for a New Tomorrow: Five focus areas for tribal and state success" Archived November 13, 2018, at the Wayback Machine. page 4. navajo-nsn.gov. Navajo Nation Office of the President and Vice President. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
- ^ Begaye, Russell; Nez, Jonathan; et al. (April 16, 2016). "Letter to Obama re Bears Ears initiative". page 1. bearsearscoalition.org. The Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition. Retrieved May 14, 2018. "the Bears Ears Buttes (Shash Jaaʼ)"
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Obama_Proclam_2016was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Williams, Terry Tempest (May 6, 2017). "Will Bears Ears Be the Next Standing Rock?". The New York Times. Sunday Opinion. Retrieved May 15, 2017.
- ^ Trump, Donald (December 4, 2017). "Presidential Proclamation Modifying the Bears Ears National Monument". whitehouse.gov. Washington, D.C.: White House Office of the Press Secretary. Retrieved January 7, 2018.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Schneiderwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "FACT SHEET: President Biden Restores Protections for Three National Monuments and Renews American Leadership to Steward Lands, Waters, and Cultural Resources". The White House. October 8, 2021. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
- ^ "A Proclamation on Bears Ears National Monument". The White House. October 8, 2021. Retrieved October 21, 2021.