WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Monday signed presidential proclamations that cut the boundaries of two Utah national monuments — Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante — by more than 90%, the White House said, removing long-standing federal protections across nearly 3 million acres in southern Utah.
The orders reduce Bears Ears to 121,100 acres from 1.36 million acres and shrink Grand Staircase-Escalante to 181,500 acres from 1.87 million acres, according to the White House. The proclamations open large sections of the original monument footprints to uses such as grazing, motorized recreation, logging and other resource development, officials said.
What changes for Utah residents
The changes immediately alter management of public lands used by ranchers, recreationists and local communities and affect areas that tribal nations have long identified as culturally and archaeologically significant. The move reverses expansions made by the Biden administration; Trump first reduced the monuments during his initial term in office, and those boundaries were later restored and modestly expanded by President Joe Biden.
- New acreage: Bears Ears — 121,100 acres; Grand Staircase-Escalante — 181,500 acres.
- Previous acreage: Bears Ears — 1.36 million acres; Grand Staircase-Escalante — 1.87 million acres.
- Permitted uses cited by the White House: grazing, motorized recreation, logging and other resource development.
| Monument | Before (acres) | After (acres) |
|---|---|---|
| Bears Ears | 1,360,000 | 121,100 |
| Grand Staircase-Escalante | 1,870,000 | 181,500 |
Officials and reactions
Trump announced the moves at the White House alongside Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and the state's two U.S. senators, Mike Lee and John Curtis, both Republicans, the White House said. The reduction of the monuments follows a previous 2017 rollback during Trump's first term; President Biden later restored the earlier boundaries.
"We're doing something very dramatic and very important for the people of Utah, and the people of our country, because many people use it,"
The change drew swift criticism from conservation and tribal advocates. Environmental group Earthjustice said it would pursue legal action "to maintain protections for these treasured landscapes," the group said. U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico called the move an instance of placing "the interests of billionaires and powerful industries ahead of America's public lands and the people who own them," and accused the administration of ignoring tribal voices and local communities.
"Time and again, this administration has put the interests of billionaires and powerful industries ahead of America's public lands and the people who own them,"
Both monuments are known for distinct resources and values: Bears Ears, designated in 2016, contains cultural and archaeological sites sacred to several Native American tribes. Grand Staircase-Escalante, designated in 1996, is noted for colorful rock formations and has yielded numerous dinosaur fossils in recent decades.
Legal and practical implications
Federal and tribal leaders, conservation groups and state officials will now weigh legal options and management changes. Earthjustice and other conservation organizations have previously challenged federal reductions of monument boundaries, and the group indicated it would again pursue litigation.
Federal law grants presidents authority under the Antiquities Act to create monuments, and past administrations have debated the extent to which presidents can subsequently shrink them. The proclamations set in motion a new round of policy, legal and land-management decisions that will affect recreation, scientific research and potential resource extraction in southern Utah.
Reporting for this story was based on accounts from the White House and statements by involved officials and organizations.
