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A coalition of five tribes has launched an ad campaign that is visible in Utah and Washington, D.C. with an abundantly clear message for President Biden: “Our Tribes speak with one voice. The time to act is now. Restore and expand Bears Ears National Monument.”
The leadership of the Bears Ears Intertribal Coalition includes representatives from the sovereign indigenous nations of the Hopi Tribe, Navajo Nation, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, Ute Indian Tribe, and Zuni Tribe, all of whom share cultural ties to the area. The coalition is placing a full-page ad in the Sunday edition of the Salt Lake Tribune this week, and is running another full-page ad in the Wednesday and Thursday editions of the Washington Post.
After President Obama established Bears Ears in 2016, President Trump reduced its size by 85% shortly after he took office, igniting a suite of lawsuits arguing that presidents only have the authority to establish national monuments under the Antiquities Act, not reduce or revoke them. On his first day in office, President Biden signed an executive order to have Interior Secretary Deb Haaland visit and initiate an onsite review process of both Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, which was also reduced under President Trump. In April, Secretary Haaland visited Utah and met with the governor and congressional leaders, as well as stakeholders in favor of, and in opposition to the monuments, saying, "It's important that the president get this right."
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My bloodline and culture comes from Bears Ears, my clan migrated through that area. If your eyes are open, the evidence is everywhere. Former President Trump wanted to diminish our connection to Bears Ears but President Biden has the power to set the record straight. We trust him to get this right.”
