Dear Momoko,
The Wilderness Society has joined a coalition of conservation groups to sue the administration and block its unlawful orders that strip protections from Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments by more than 90 percent.
The challenge is critical not only to the future of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante, but to the future of all our cherished national monuments. We've broken down the details for you below—read on to learn more about this vital legal work.
How did this issue end up in court?
In July, the president signed executive orders that virtually eliminated these two national monuments by gutting protections for more than 90 percent of the land they encompass. This move—a massive giveaway to the corporations eager to mine on these lands—was made in violation of the Antiquities Act, which courts have repeatedly affirmed authorizes presidents to create national monuments, not destroy them.
This all sounds familiar—hasn't it happened before?
In 2017, the president's first administration launched a similar attack on Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante that slashed their boundaries by 85 and 47 percent, respectively. Those proclamations were illegal then, and they're illegal now—which is why The Wilderness Society and our partners fought back by taking the administration to court, just as we are today.
Why are Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante worth protecting?
Covering more than 1.3 million acres of stunning red-rock landscape in southern Utah, Bears Ears is an interconnected Indigenous homeland with irreplaceable Native American cultural places. The area's dramatic sandstone mesas, canyons and arches are home to at least 18 endangered species, and visitors to the monument can enjoy recreational opportunities like world-class hiking, rock-climbing, nature photography and stargazing.
Also located in southern Utah, Grand Staircase-Escalante's colorful rock formations and striking vistas span nearly 1.9 million acres of land. The area holds deep cultural significance to numerous Tribal Nations. It's considered one of the most significant sources of dinosaur fossils in the United States. More than 600 species of bees call this landscape home, and visitors who like to camp and hike can enjoy some of the West's most spectacular scenery.
Both of these monuments were protected for a reason: to ensure Tribal co-management, safeguard cultural and archaeological places, and preserve vital wildlife habitat, clean air and water and abundant opportunities for recreation. We cannot allow the administration to strip away our freedom to explore them so its mining allies can pillage them for private profit instead.
How can I help?
Our legal work is a critical tool to help keep public lands in public hands—but it also requires enormous resources to ensure that we're able to jump into action wherever and whenever we're needed. By making a tax-deductible gift to The Wilderness Society today, you can help power the fight to protect our shared public lands in the courts, in the halls of Congress and in communities like yours.
Thank you, as always, for sticking with us in this fight. We'll keep you updated as our efforts to defend Bears Ears, Grand Staircase-Escalante and all of our beloved public lands develop.
With gratitude,
The Wilderness Society
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