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Greetings Bears Ears Community,

As we close out 2025, we’re taking a moment to reflect on the year behind us, highlighting the work, relationships, and milestones that shaped the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition’s (BEITC) efforts over the past twelve months.

This year, the BEITC stayed focused on what matters most: Tribal-informed stewardship, inter-Tribal collaboration, and care for a place of deep cultural meaning. Rather than responding to every moment of uncertainty, the BEITC emphasized work rooted in responsibility, long-term stewardship, and strengthening relationships across Tribes, communities, and partners.
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Resource Management Plan Finalized

In January 2025, the Resource Management Plan (RMP) for Bears Ears National Monument went into effect. The plan reflects nearly a decade of advocacy by the Tribes of the BEITC, beginning with the original monument designation proposal submitted in 2015.

Through the Bears Ears Commission, the Tribes co-created the RMP with agency partners, establishing a durable framework for managing Bears Ears through collaborative management, integrating Traditional Indigenous Knowledge alongside Western science and land management practices. The plan’s completion marks a transition from land planning to carrying out the day-to-day care of the Monument and affirms the central role of Tribal Nations in stewarding and connecting with their ancestral homelands.

It is also the first inter-Tribal management plan for a national monument in U.S. history, setting a new standard for how Tribal Nations can collectively guide the care of their ancestral homelands.

This milestone represents both continuity and progress, demonstrating what is possible when Tribes are respected as decision-makers and partners in land stewardship.

Press Release: Setting a National Standard for Collaborative Management, Bears Ears Resource Management Plan Finalized

View Press Release ([link removed])

Bears Ears Bulletin: The Finalized Resource Management Plan ([link removed]) | A New Era of Tribal Sovereignty and Land Stewardship at Bears Ears

Read the Blog ([link removed])

Youth Leadership and Stewardship

In 2025, the BEITC made its highest investment in intergenerational leadership through the Bears Ears Youth Council, the Bears Ears Conservation Corps, and the Native American Leadership Development Program.

The Bears Ears Youth Council launched this year, creating opportunities for young leaders from across the Tribes to build relationships, learn about and practice collaborative management, and deepen their connection to Bears Ears through a sponsored site visit. The first year of the Youth Council laid a strong foundation for this work.

The fourth annual Bears Ears Conservation Corps brought the highest number of youth and community members to the landscape in its programming history. This year’s programming also expanded opportunities to practice stewardship and share intergenerational cultural knowledge.

The Native American Leadership Development Program, the organization’s internship program to gain experience in nonprofit administration and inter-Tribal governance, also hosted its largest cohort with placements in operations, land planning, and communications.

Together, these programs help the Tribes accomplish their goal of creating informed, engaged, and knowledgeable future leaders ready to carry on this work. These programs also reinforce the understanding that the responsibility of stewardship is timeless and intergenerational, grounded in lived experience and carried forward on behalf of future generations.

Planning is already underway for 2026, with the application processes expected to open soon.

The responsibility of stewardship is timeless and intergenerational, grounded in lived experience and carried forward on behalf of future generations.

Ten Years of the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition

2025 marked the tenth anniversary of the BEITC. The BEITC was formed through a shared commitment among five sovereign Nations, and we remained rooted in unity, consensus, and respect for Tribal sovereignty.

Over the past decade, the BEITC has navigated shifting political landscapes while maintaining a consistent vision for Bears Ears. The anniversary offered a moment to reflect on what has endured: strong inter-Tribal relationships, investment in community, consensus-based decision-making, and a shared responsibility to protect a sacred landscape.

The BEITC’s work began with the Tribes’ monument designation proposal to President Obama in 2015 and has continued through the successful establishment of the monument in 2016, the 2017 reduction, and the 2021 restoration. In 2022, the Tribes signed a historic Cooperative Agreement with federal agencies, formalizing a nation-to-nation partnership that ensures Tribal expertise and Traditional Indigenous Knowledge guide decision-making and day-to-day care of the landscape. This agreement laid the groundwork for the development and finalization of the RMP in 2025. Throughout these changes, the Tribes have remained committed to caring for Bears Ears and guiding its future.

To mark the Coalition’s tenth anniversary, we shared two short reels that reflect on the relationships, leadership, and persistence that have shaped this work over the past decade. Together, they offer a visual complement to the story shared in our blog.

Watch our anniversary reels:
Part 1 ([link removed])
Part 2 ([link removed])

Read the full blog:
Ten Years of Unity, Vision, and Stewardship ([link removed])

National Recognition

This year, the BEITC received national recognition through the Harvard Honoring Nations program. The recognition highlighted the BEITC’s role in advancing Indigenous governance, Tribal sovereignty, and collaborative land management.

While the work has always been guided by Tribal priorities rather than external forces, the recognition underscores the broader relevance of the work being done at Bears Ears and its potential to inform land stewardship efforts across the country.

Selected from more than 100 applications representing 76 Tribal Nations and seven Tribal consortia nationwide, this recognition places the BEITC among a small group of initiatives recognized for excellence in Tribal self-governance.

Charissa Miijessepe-Wilson, Director of the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition, and Davina Smith, BEITC Co-Chair and representative for the Navajo Nation, at the Harvard Honoring Nations Awards.

Read our press release on the Honoring Nations recognition:
BEITC Recognized with Honors from Harvard’s Honoring Nations Awards ([link removed])

Inter-Monument Tribal Gathering

In August, 14 Tribal Nations connected to Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni, Bears Ears, and Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monuments came together for an Inter-Monument Tribal Gathering (IMTG) called for by the Tribes themselves. This closed gathering was an opportunity for the Tribes to meet and get to know one another on a more personal basis, allowing Tribal leaders and knowledge holders to guide conversations on their own terms and in the safety of a confidential space. Marking the first time many of these Nations had come together for this purpose, the gathering focused on relationship-building, trust, and shared values.

Participants exchanged stories, shared lessons and best practices, and spiritual ties to their ancestral landscapes, creating space not only for place-based stewardship discussions, but also for healing, reconnection, and strengthening Indigenous stewardship across monuments. The BEITC was honored to be asked to co-facilitate this gathering along with the Grand Canyon Trust at the request of the participating Tribes. Work like this demonstrates the importance of our work beyond Bears Ears, and we look forward to assisting in similar efforts in the future.

Top: Bears Ears Youth Council members introduce themselves at the IMTG.
Bottom: Tribal participants gather in a shared space for dialogue and connection at the IMTG.

The gathering created space not only for stewardship discussions, but for healing, reconnection, and shared responsibility across monuments.

Additional Highlights from 2025

Throughout the year, the BEITC sponsored, supported, and participated in a wide range of meetings, gatherings, and forums. These included in-person Tribal leader meetings, subcommittee meetings, community meetings, cultural events, youth programs, inter-Tribal gatherings, national conferences, and broader conversations about public lands and Indigenous stewardship.

BEITC staff engaged with more than 800 community members through a combination of community meetings, public presentations, and direct conversations at Tribal gatherings and cultural events. These engagements took place across Tribal communities, Monument-adjacent areas, and urban centers with significant Native populations, ensuring that community members had opportunities to learn about Bears Ears, the finalized RMP, and ongoing Tribal stewardship efforts.

In 2025, BEITC hosted four community events focused on education and dialogue around Bears Ears and participated in or supported an additional ten community events across the region. These spaces allowed Tribal members to engage directly with BEITC staff and Tribal leadership, ask questions, share concerns, and learn about opportunities to participate in BEITC programs.

The BEITC also continued to engage in intergovernmental discussions, monitor federal actions affecting Bears Ears, and strengthen relationships with partners, allies, and community members.

2025 Community Engagement at a Glance
* 800+ community members engaged across the Four Corners region
* A dozen-plus community events hosted, supported, or participated in
* Engagements included community meetings, public presentations, and Tribal gatherings
* Conversations centered on Tribal-informed stewardship, the RMP, and care for Bears Ears


In the Public Conversation

In 2025, Bears Ears and Tribal-informed stewardship continued to be part of the national and regional conversation about public lands. Coverage appeared in outlets including AZ Central, ([link removed]) 90 Miles from Needles ([link removed]) , Native America Calling ([link removed]) , Sierra Magazine ([link removed]) , Parks Stewardship Forum ([link removed]) , and others, reflecting sustained attention beyond the region.

Tribal leaders also contributed directly to this conversation through op-eds and public commentary, including pieces by former Ute Mountain Ute Councilman and Bears Ears Commissioner Malcolm Lehi ([link removed]) and Council Delegate and Commission Co-Chair Curtis Yanito ([link removed]) . Their pieces expressed Tribal perspectives on Bears Ears, collaborative management, and the importance of Tribal-informed stewardship in caring for ancestral lands.

Throughout the year, Tribal leaders participated in multiple public forums and panels. Bears Ears Commission Co-Chair Curtis Yanito and BEITC Co-Chair Davina Smith presented at the Payahuunadü Tribal Summit. Co-Chair Davina Smith also participated in a panel at the 22nd Century Conference in partnership with Native Organizers Alliance and joined a public lands panel ([link removed]) with the Center for Western Priorities. Former Vice Chairman and Bears Ears Commissioner Craig Andrews spoke at the 2025 Sierra Nevada Tribal Conference.

Together, this coverage and participation reinforced the presence of Tribal voices in public discussions about Bears Ears and helped secure the monument within broader national conversations about public lands and Indigenous stewardship.
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As the year comes to a close, the BEITC remains committed to advancing Tribal-informed stewardship, collaborative management, and care for Bears Ears grounded in respect and responsibility. The work continues with clarity, patience, and a deep sense of purpose. Thank you for walking with us.

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Copyright (C) 2025 | Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition | All rights reserved.
BearsEarsCoalition.Org
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2632 Mesilla St NE, Ste 3, Albuquerque NM 87110
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