Bears Ears, named after twin peaks that look like the ears of a bear, has about 9,000 recorded archaeological sites, including petroglyphs, woven cloth, human remains and ancient roads.. Former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke trimmed Bears Ears from 1.35 million acres to 201,876 acres, eliminating Cedar Mesa with its cliff ruins and rock art. © 2020 NATHPO. BLM outlines the criteria and elements. Katie Meehan et al. The action comes despite lawsuits by by conservation, tribal and paleontology groups seeking to restore the original boundaries. Eleven months later, in early December of 2017, President Trump reduced Bears Ears by 85 percent, an action that Utah officials and some local residents wanted. Email. Issue Excerpt Text: Throughout the Proposed Monument Management Plan, the preferred alternative does not prohibit degradation of monument resources and values and fails to safeguard these resources from … Public comment is being accepted through August 26, 2019. Outdoor Retailer, the outdoor recreation industry’s largest trade show, has announced plans to cut ties with Utah in protest of the state’s opposition to the recently-created Bears Ears National Monument. 3. All Rights Reserved. In the current Administration, we are understandably skeptical of these sweeping and benign claims. Bears Ears Proposed Management Plan & Final EIS & U.S. Forest Service Proposed Rule Revising NEPA Regulations. Anyone may submit comments on this, with instructions available in the same Federal Register notice. 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SALT LAKE CITY -- Thousands of protesters fired up by President Trump's expected announcement to shrink two national monuments in Utah rallied in Salt Lake City on Saturday, just two days ahead of his planned visit. Wikimedia Commons/U.S Geological Survey. Bears Ears, by contrast, is best known for tens of thousands of relatively intact archaeological sites and petroglyphs within its boundaries. "House on Fire" is located within The 1.9 million-acre Bears Ears cultural landscape. PREV NEXT. Founded in 1998, the NATHPO is a national non-profit membership organization of Tribal government officials who implement federal and tribal preservation laws. Fate of monument remains uncertain despite industry protests By. No parts of this site may be copied without our written permission. The plan would cut the total amount of land in the state's red rock country protected under monument status from more than 3.2 million acres (5,000 square miles) to about 1.2 million acres (1,875 square miles). This June 22, 2016, file photo, shows the "House on Fire" ruins in Mule Canyon, near Blanding, Utah. Mr. Trump is scheduled to visit the state on Monday, when he will announce a plan to reduce the size of Bears Ears and Staircase-Escalante National Monuments by nearly two-thirds. Additional instructions are available here. Navajo Nation Attorney General Ethel Branch vowed said the president should see these monuments for himself. Copyright © 2020 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Trump Administration Issues Flawed Plan for Bears Ears National Monument Lands Despite Active Litigation and Overwhelming Opposition, Action Alert: National Register Final Rule, Request Meeting & Consultation, News: Executive Order on Economic Emergency & Environmental Reviews, Announcement: NPS Hiring & THPO FY20 Apportionment Grants, Conference: 21st National Tribal Preservation Conference POSTPONED. OF 97. Until August 26, 2019, there is an open protest period concerning the Proposed MMPs. Additional instructions are available here. Mr. Trump is scheduled to visit the state on Monday, when he will announce a plan to reduce the size of Bears Ears and Staircase-Escalante National Monuments by … When do states certify their election results? Roughly 5,000 people showed up to the rally, according to the Utah Highway Patrol. Any gains in efficiency should not come at a cost to public involvement or conservation of natural resources, including tribal involvement and cultural resources. Native American groups, some in tribal dress, danced or formed drum circles. Action Alert: Request for G2G Consultation for FCC’s Twilight Towers Program Comment Request, Action Alert: Save Oak Flat (Resolution Copper), Proposed Monument Management Plans (MMPs) and Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). "I want him to visit Bears Ears before he takes any action," Branch said. The monument's original size was 1,351,849 acres (2,112.264 sq mi; 5,470.74 km 2), which was controversially reduced 85% by President Donald Trump on December 4, 2017. BLM outlines the criteria and elements. © 2017 The Associated Press. Get the latest breaking news delivered straight to your inbox. News, Blog Hobbitville Throughout the Years 2. Agencies are already challenged by the identification of properties of religious and cultural significance to tribes. All rights reserved. (KUTV) Hundreds of people gathered at two separate press conferences at the State Capitol Monday to protest in support and to oppose the proposed Bears Ears National Monument. Also open is a 60-day public comment period regarding the proposed closure of recreational target shooting (referred to as “target shooting” in the MMPs) at campgrounds, developed recreation sites, petroglyph sites, and structural cultural sites within the Bears Ears National Monument. Feel free to use any or all of the text in your own comments through the Federal Register and any letters you may send to USFS leadership. Especially since courts have rejected any religious freedom rights to sacred lands, Bears Ears was a huge victory for Native peoples. State Rep. Patrice Arent, a Democrat from Millcreek, accused Mr. Trump of coming to "wreak destruction on a land he knows basically nothing about," the Salt Lake Tribune reported . Removing roughly 1.15 million acres from Bears Ears is the largest reduction of any national monument by a president and makes Trump the first president to shrink a … Which may explain why Trump took aim in his first days in office. Please review NATHPO’s comment letter for additional information. The lands have generated little interest from energy … Any person who previously participated in the planning process and has an interest that is (or may be) adversely affected by the proposed plan may file a protest. Protest Resolution Report for Bears Ears National Monument Proposed MMPs/Final EIS 2 . Bureau of Land Management (BLM), in coordination with the United States Forest Service (USFS), has prepared the Proposed Monument Management Plans (MMPs) and Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Bears Ears National Monument (BENM) Indian Creek and Shash Jáa Units.