After nearly four years of limbo, Bears Ears National Monument has been restored. Read more about President Biden’s proclamation, the reaction from advocates and politicians, and the next steps for shaping the future of Bears Ears.
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New Interior Secretary Deb Haaland takes the helm at the U.S. Interior Department. The fate of Bears Ears National Monument is in her hands. Learn more about her appointment and recent trip to Utah to meet with those who have a stake in the monument’s future.
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The latest news from the Bears Ears beat includes a “strange bedfellows” story, a battle over oil and gas leasing, and a reflection on the “stunning and sacred” landscape advocates hope President Biden protects by restoring the original Bears Ears National Monument.
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President Biden took the first step toward restoring Bears Ears National Monument. Tribes, conservationists, and Utah politicians weigh in and plot their next move.
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It's been four years since former President Barack Obama established Bears Ears National Monument, and a new chapter in the ongoing saga is about to begin. What the Biden administration plans to do about Bears Ears.
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Host and Producer Brenden W. Rensink , Associate Director of the Redd Center, Associate Professor of History at BYU, and General Editor of the Intermountain Histories project interviews Rebecca Robinson and Stephen Strom about their books: Voices from Bears Ears: Seeking Common Ground on Sacred Land and Bears Ears: Views from a Sacred Land.
CLICK HERE to listen to the podcast.
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Environmentalists, tribes blast Utah national monument plan - KUTV, 7/27/19
Perhaps the most controversial component of the plan is its opening large swaths of archaeologically significant land to off-road vehicle use - something both conservationists and Native peoples see as insulting to tribes and dangerous for fragile landscapes.
But this isn’t the only story keeping the BLM in the headlines.
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When we were working on our books, we became avid readers of The Salt Lake Tribune. The reporters at Utah's paper of record did exemplary work placing the Bears Ears saga in context of the state's and region's complex history.
Today, Report for America fellow Zak Podmore is continuing the Trib's thoughtful and incisive coverage of "conflict and change in San Juan County."
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For nearly four years, the Salt Lake Tribune has consistently provided the most consistent and comprehensive coverage of the Bears Ears saga. Reporters Brian Maffly and Thomas Burr, with key assists from other Tribune staff writers, have followed the legal battle that ensued after President Trump drastically reduced Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments in December 2017. Here, Burr examines the status of the lawsuits filed by tribes and conservationists
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We recently caught up with Charles Wilkinson, Moses Lasky Professor of Law at the University of Colorado Law School and asked him to reflect on the history of public lands battles in southeast Utah, the significance of the Bears Ears National Monument established by former President Barack Obama in 2016, and his predictions regarding the lawsuits challenging President Trump’s reduction of the Obama monument in late 2017.
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A small sampling of the latest Bears Ears news for your reading pleasure.
Southern Utah Uranium Producers Hope Trump’s Trade Decision Will Benefit Them - Salt Lake Tribune
New Advisory Panel for Bears Ears National Monument Becomes Latest Flashpoint in Debate - St. George News
Tensions high as residents comment at meeting - San Juan Record
At the end of March, we reached Blanding resident Kay Shumway, whose family's ties to the region date back to the early 1900s. Shumway, who is an Anglo member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormon), feels strongly that the court-imposed redistricting was intended "to punish the people of Blanding, pure and simple."
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We caught up with Josh Ewing, Executive Director of Friends of Cedar Mesa on a day when he was acting as “sole parent in charge” of the Bears Ears Education Center in Bluff, Utah. The newly-established Center opened in fall 2018
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We caught up with Mark Maryboy several weeks before the fourth anniversary of the inaugural gathering of Hopi, Zuni and 19 other tribes in Bluff, Utah.
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It’s been a busy month for lawmakers and conservation advocates on Capitol Hill. Here, we take a look at the most significant developments and what they portend for Bears Ears and public lands across the U.S.
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While the fate of Bears Ears awaits the outcome of litigation, one of the proponents of the monument designation — the nonprofit Utah Dine Bikeyah (UDB), whose Native-led efforts to preserve land and culture helped secure protection of Bears Ears — has initiated efforts aimed at working with San Juan County officials to identify potential paths toward a more robust economic future.
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This Science piece takes an in-depth look at how paleontologists are racing against time to find, document, and protect fossils in areas cut from the original monument by President Trump before mining companies and off-road vehicles further endanger them.
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Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke will step down from his post at the end of 2018; it is rumored that the White House issued him an ultimatum: resign or be fired.
(Image of Ryan Zinke courtesy of the U.S. Department of the Interior)
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“I think they may have set a really good precedent and created a template for other tribes to protect their ancestral lands. Out of all of this mess, what’s most promising is that we see a real ripple effect [that can] change the conservation movement and elevate the voices of historically underrepresented groups who really are the First Peoples of the planet.”
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After more than three years of interviewing, researching, traveling, writing, editing, and revising, Voices from Bears Ears is available to readers in both paper and electronic versions!
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