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Utah's San Juan County Commission voted 2-1 in support of a resolution declaring the Trump administration's actions to shrink Bears Ears National Monument "illegal." The resolution further requests that President-elect Biden direct his administration to prioritize the restoration of the monument to its original size when it was designated by President Obama in 2016. In 2017, the Trump administration drastically reduced the size of the monument, leading to multiple legal challenges that are still pending.
The Bears Ears Intertribal Coalition led the efforts in 2016 to designate the monument to protect the area's cultural resources, including the estimated 10,000 cultural artifacts belonging to the Navajo, Hopi & Zuni tribes. Both San Juan County commissioners who voted in favor of the resolution, Kenneth Maryboy and Willie Greyeyes, are members of the Navajo Nation.
Efforts to reduce the size of the monument were backed by all members of Utah’s congressional delegation, a majority of the Utah Legislature, Governor Gary Herbert, and by the members of the San Juan County Commission before Maryboy and Greyeyes were elected to provide a voice on matters that directly impact tribal interests.
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Photography has the power to inspire change in terms of how we treat our environment, and for this reason, has never been more critical. As the world faces unprecedented challenges around climate change, I cannot think of a more pressing time to photograph our impact on the natural environment.”
