Bears Ears National Monument

Bears Ears National Monument is a protected area located in southeastern Utah, encompassing a vast landscape of red rock canyons, high desert mesas, and forested mountains. The monument is named for a pair of distinctive twin buttes that resemble the ears of a bear, a landmark significant to many Native American tribes. Established by presidential proclamation under the Antiquities Act of 1906, it preserves one of the most significant cultural landscapes in the United States, containing tens of thousands of archaeological sites. Its management is shared by federal agencies and a coalition of tribal governments.

History

The region's human history spans over 13,000 years, with evidence of occupation by Paleo-Indians, Ancestral Puebloans, Fremont culture, and Ute tribes. Major archaeological sites include the cliff dwellings at Grand Gulch and the towering ruins of Comb Ridge. Early European-American exploration included the 1776 Domínguez–Escalante expedition, followed later by Mormon pioneers like those in the Hole-in-the-Rock Expedition. The area faced significant looting and vandalism of artifacts, which catalyzed a decades-long effort for protection led by a coalition of tribes including the Hopi Tribe, Navajo Nation, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, Pueblo of Zuni, and Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation. President Barack Obama established the monument in 2016, a decision later altered by President Donald Trump before being largely restored by President Joe Biden.

Geography and geology

The monument covers over 1.36 million acres in the heart of the Colorado Plateau, bordering other iconic landscapes like Canyonlands National Park and Natural Bridges National Monument. Its terrain is defined by deep canyons such as Johns Canyon and Butler Wash, along with prominent features like the Abajo Mountains and the winding San Juan River. The geology reveals a layered record from the Permian through the Cretaceous periods, with exposed formations like the red Cedar Mesa Sandstone and white Navajo Sandstone. This geologic diversity creates the dramatic scenery of places like Arch Canyon and the Valley of the Gods.

Ecology and climate

The monument spans several life zones, from lowland desert shrublands to Ponderosa pine forests in the Manti-La Sal National Forest. It provides critical habitat for species like the Mexican spotted owl, Peregrine falcon, and Desert bighorn sheep. Riparian corridors along streams support Fremont cottonwood and Boxelder trees. The climate is semi-arid, with hot summers and cold winters; higher elevations in the Abajo Mountains receive significant snowfall. The area is part of the larger Colorado Plateau ecoregion, which is particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change.

Cultural significance

Bears Ears is considered a sacred living landscape by the coalition of tribes, who maintain deep spiritual, historical, and material connections to the land. It contains an estimated 100,000 cultural sites, including cliff dwellings, great houses, rock art panels, and traditional gathering areas for medicinal plants. Sites like Newspaper Rock and the Butler Wash ruins are nationally significant. The area continues to be used for ceremonies, hunting, and the collection of plants for food, medicine, and crafting by tribal members.

Management and controversy

The monument is co-managed by the Bureau of Land Management and the United States Forest Service, with formal advisory roles for the coalition of tribes through the Bears Ears Commission. Its establishment and subsequent boundary modifications have been a focal point of national debate, involving legal challenges, statements from the Utah State Legislature, and activism by groups like the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance and Patagonia. Core issues center on the balance between conservation under the Antiquities Act, tribal sovereignty, and competing land uses such as livestock grazing, mineral extraction, and recreational access.