President Donald Trump signed a pair of executive orders on Monday to significantly reduce the size of the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments in Utah. The move, which cuts approximately 3 million acres from the two sites, represents a 90% reduction from their original combined size. The executive orders mark the second time Trump has acted to shrink these monuments. During his first term in 2017, he reduced their boundaries, but those protections were subsequently restored to their original sizes by President Joe Biden in 2021.
Impact on Monument Boundaries
The newly signed orders leave the monuments at a fraction of their previous scale. According to a news release from the office of Utah Governor Spencer Cox, the Bears Ears monument has been reduced to approximately 121,000 acres, while Grand Staircase-Escalante has been scaled back to about 182,000 acres. Combined, these designations now cover less than 303,000 acres, down from a total area of more than 3.2 million acres. The monuments, located in southern Utah, contain geological features such as scenic canyons, natural arches, and cliffs, as well as significant archaeological sites including petroglyphs and ancient cliff dwellings. The Grand Staircase-Escalante area holds large coal reserves, while the Bears Ears region contains uranium deposits.
The Debate Over Public Land Management
The reduction of these monuments highlights an ongoing conflict regarding the management of federal public lands. Trump framed the decision as a return of authority to the people, telling reporters at the White House that the previous designations were a “massive land grab.” Utah’s Republican leadership, including Governor Cox, Senator Mike Lee, and Representative Celeste Maloy, supported the move. Proponents argue that the original monument boundaries were overly broad and hindered local access for activities such as hunting, ranching, and mineral development. Senator Lee stated that the Antiquities Act had been “abused” by creating monuments larger than necessary, and that the new orders bring the land management into compliance with the law. Governor Cox’s office asserted that the lands excluded from the modified boundaries remain protected under existing federal and state law, and that the reduction allows agencies to focus limited resources on protecting specific, high-value sites.
Opposition from Tribal Nations and Conservationists
The decision has drawn sharp criticism from environmental organizations and representatives of local tribal nations. Opponents argue that the move disrespects the cultural and spiritual significance of the landscapes. Bears Ears, in particular, is considered sacred by many Native American tribes. The monument was established to honor the Navajo, Hopi, Zuni, Ute Mountain Ute, and Uintah-Ouray Ute tribes, whose creation and migration stories are tied to the region.
Legal and Future Implications
The legality of the reductions remains a point of contention. While environmental law firm Earthjustice has announced plans to take legal action to maintain existing protections, there is historical precedent for such moves. The following table summarizes the status of the two monuments under recent administrations: | Monument | Original Status | 2017 Trump Action | 2021 Biden Action | 2026 Trump Action | | :— | :— | :— | :— | :— | | Bears Ears | ~1.35M acres | Reduced to ~228k | Restored | Reduced to ~121k | | Grand Staircase | ~1.87M acres | Reduced to ~1M | Restored | Reduced to ~182k | Environmental advocates maintain that the Antiquities Act authorizes presidents to designate monuments but does not grant them the power to dismantle them. As the administration moves forward, the conflict between state-led management goals and federal conservation mandates continues to be a central flashpoint in American land-use policy.
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