ENSTU 300: Critical Thinking & Communication in Environmental Studies

Public Land Policies on Bears Ears

Native American Land
Marrion Gestat, Environmental Studies Program, California State University
Monterey Bay

(Peterson, 2017) (Bailey, 2017)

What is Bears Ears? Southeastern Utah featuring two high rising

On December 28, 2016 President Barack
Obama responded to a petition from the
Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition and
proclaimed the land a National Monument
(Krakoff, 2018). Bears Ears is a desert
landscape made up of 1.35 million acres in
size located in the San Juan County of
buttes with a vast collection of cliff
dwellings, ceremonial pits used for rituals
known as “kivas”, pit houses, rock art, and
numerous ancient artifacts dating back to
over 100,000 years ago. It is currently
federally owned and managed by the Bureau
of Land Management, Forest Service, and
National Park Service; 1 officer from each
group is assigned to oversee the land while
simultaneously supervising other areas outside
of the San Juan County (Bears Ears Coalition,
n.d.). Bears Ears is among the most historically
significant sites in the nation for its remarkably
intact land and ancient resources. Numerous
Indian tribes holding significant ancestral
history to this monument now find their land at
risk for vandalism, looting, and public
carelessness due to recent threats in public land
policies (Moe, 2016).
Since becoming president, Donald Trump has
assigned Secretary of Interior Ryan Zinke to
reduce or remove each of select national
monuments. Zinke intends to reduce
monuments to “the smallest area compatible”
with “protection of objects of historic and
scientific interest” (Anderson, 2018). The
governor of Utah along with federal and state
lawmakers have also aimed to reduce or even
entirely remove protection of the landmark
(Davis, 2017). Trump’s administration plans to
divide Bears Ears into only 2 of the most
commonly known sites: Moon House and Doll
House. Not including Cedar Mesa, among the
largest sites at Bears Ears with the most
archaeological history to offer (Carswell, 2017).
Establishment of monuments in the past have
consequentially forced indigenous tribes out
their own land under means of exploitation and
privatization on the government’s behalf. Public
land policies have disregarded Native American
rights for years, only involving voices of non-
indigenous people seeking either environmental
protection or economic gain (Krakoff, 2018).
Historical & Cultural Background
The Inter-Tribal Coalition includes the support
of 30 tribes defending the rights to their Native
land. It is led by the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe,
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Navajo Nation, Zuni Pueblo of Zuni, Ute
Indian, and the Hopi Tribe. The coalition is a
strong advocate for the complete and permanent
protection of the ancient Bears Ears monument.
Indigenous tribes emphasize a deep spiritual
connection to the land; Holding ceremonies,
medicinal practices, and healing rituals (Moe,
2016). Remarkably enough, the dry climate of
the land helps maintain a vast collection of
1,000-year-old perishable artifacts in pristine
condition. Archaeologists estimate that only
10% of the 100,000 sites have been officially
examined and look forward to the further
preservation of the land to increase research and
protection funds (Carswell, 2017).
Protection of Bears Ears serves more than just
environmental consciousness to the Inter-Tribal
Coalition, their petition against the Trump
Administration’s proposed public land policy
fights for protection of their Native land and
preservation of its cultural importance.
In 1906 President Theodore Roosevelt signed
approval of the Antiquities Act. A law
developed to prevent vandalism and damages to
any land proven to be historically or
scientifically significant regarding an in-depth
list of criteria (Krakoff, 2018). Presidents are
permitted to establish national monuments, but
recent threats to numerous landmarks have
created debate on the extent of presidential
authority on public land mandate (Davis, 2017).
Prospect & Proposal
Members of the Bears Ears Coalition seek to
defend their “sacred lands”. A place to fulfill
various unique and traditional religions serving
cultural beliefs of spiritual healing; not only
personal, but also for “human communities”
and our “natural world”. The coalition has
developed a list of preservation goals for their
land including:
 Archaeological and cultural resource
protection
 Preservation of significant historic sites,
spiritual artifacts, and continuation of
cultural practices
 Protection of native fish, wildlife, and
plants
 Permitted access for hunting,
ceremonies, and collecting fuel wood
and herbs
 Wilderness and scenic preservation
The coalition proposes a Collaborative
Management plan between the 5 leading Tribes
and federal agencies to be the most optimal
form of mandate for the expanse and ancient
land (Bears Ears Coalition, n.d.).
Though Threats made by the Trump
Administration are circumstantially disputable
and for now undetermined, legality experts
argue that only Congress is authorized to
modify the size and area boundaries of
established monuments (Krakoff, 2018). Native
American Tribes and environmental groups are
currently awaiting a case against the reduction
of Bears Ears (Anderson, 2018).

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 Carswell. C. (2017, December 7).
Archaeologist uneasy as Trump shrinks
Bears Ears
monumental lands. Nature, 552, 7683.
Doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/d41586-
017-07794-5

Davis, L. Jacoby- Garrett, P. (2017, April).

Monumental achievements … and
controversy. National Recreation and
Park Association, 32+.

Krakoff, S. (2018). Public lands,

conservation, and the possibility of
justice. Harvard Civil
Rights- Civil Liberties Law Review, 53,
213-258.

Moore, K. (2016, July 20). Save these sacred

lands. Washington Post. Retrieved
from:
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
id=GALE
Literature Cited %7CA458820993&v=2.1&u=csumb_m
ain&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w
Anderson, T. L. (2018). Land of
many uses? Public lands should be
public – not private
playgrounds. The administration’s
scrutiny of national monuments could
restore this principle. Hoover Digest, 1.
Retrieved
from: http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
&id=GALE
%7CA526575456&v=2.1&u=csumb_m
ain&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w

Bears Ears Coalition. (n.d.). Proposal

Overview. Retrieved from
https://bearsearscoalition.org/proposal-
overview/