Parks Group Applauds Landmark Collaborative Tribal Management Plan to Protect Bears Ears National Monument

Washington DC – The Biden administration in collaboration with five Native American Tribes released a historic draft management plan for Bears Ears National Monument in Utah. Through this plan, the lands and resources of Bears Ears will be managed in collaboration with Tribes, utilizing Indigenous knowledge and Tribal input, as was intended in President Obama’s proclamation that established the monument and President Biden’s proclamation that restored the monument.

This management plan was the result of a two-year collaboration among five Tribes of the Bears Ears Commission – Ute Indian Tribe, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, Zuni Tribe, Hopi Tribe and the Navajo Nation – along with federal partners at the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service. Once finalized the plan will inform resource policies and procedures for the protection of Bears Ears National Monument, connecting one of America’s most diverse national park landscapes, for years to come.

Statement by Theresa Pierno, President and CEO for the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA):

“This landmark management plan is proof that through collaboration and elevation of voices traditionally underrepresented in public lands management, our country can preserve culturally important places and ecosystems while also balancing recreational opportunities. It’s clear the Biden administration understands that true Tribal consultation in the management of our public lands benefit all of us, as well as the future of our national parks and public lands.

“Bears Ears connects and protects one of America’s most iconic national park landscapes. It is a sacred place that provides healing and sustains life for so many. This historic collaborative management plan safeguards those values. It commits to long-term Tribal consultation and ensures that the management of this landscape honors traditional Indigenous knowledge and cultural wisdom. Once realized, this plan will create a future where visitors learn about the full history of Bears Ears and the people who have understood and cared for these lands for thousands of years.

“For years, NPCA worked alongside Tribal Nations, local communities and businesses, and countless people across the country to protect the Bears Ears landscape. But this plan would not have become a reality without the leadership of Ute Indian, Ute Mountain Ute, Zuni, and Hopi Tribes and the Navajo Nation. We are proud to stand with them, together as partners, in the fight to protect Bears Ears, and all our national monuments, for generations to come.”

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About the National Parks Conservation Association: Since 1919, the nonpartisan National Parks Conservation Association has been the leading voice in safeguarding our national parks. NPCA and its more than 1.6 million members and supporters work together to protect and preserve our nation’s most iconic and inspirational places for future generations. For more information, visit www.npca.org.