The proclamations are signed. The fight is not over.
Here’s how to keep the pressure on.
I acted quickly on this one because it matters. On July 13th, two proclamations were signed that rolled back nearly 90% of the protected boundaries of two of America’s most significant national monuments — Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante. Three million acres of public land. Sacred Indigenous cultural sites. Irreplaceable archaeological resources. Some of the most significant landscapes in the American West.
The ink is dry. But the fight is absolutely not over.
I talked to Katie Johnson, Campaigns and Engagement Manager at the Conservation Alliance, immediately after it happened. She helped me understand what’s actually in these proclamations, what they get wrong, and what our most effective next move is. Here’s everything you need to know — and what you can do right now to make your voice heard.
What happened
On July 13, 2026, President Trump signed two proclamations reducing the protected boundaries of Bears Ears National Monument and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah by approximately 90%.
Bears Ears National Monument — reduced to approximately 122,000 acres from its previous boundary. The Bears Ears Commission, an intertribal coalition of tribal representatives that helped oversee the monument’s management, has been disbanded.
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument — reduced to approximately 182,000 acres from its previous boundary.
Combined, these proclamations remove protection from roughly three million acres of public land — opening it to potential drilling, mining, and extractive development. These are larger rollbacks than what occurred in 2017 under a similar effort.
What are these places
Bears Ears National Monument sits in the heart of the Colorado Plateau in southeastern Utah. Its landscape of red rock canyons, ancient cliff dwellings, and ceremonial sites has been home to Indigenous peoples for thousands of years. Five tribal nations — the Hopi, Navajo Nation, Ute Indian Tribe, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, and Zuni — fought for decades to see this land protected. Bears Ears is named for two distinctive buttes considered sacred in multiple tribal traditions.
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument protects one of the most remote and scientifically significant landscapes in the continental United States — a vast wilderness of canyons, mesas, and plateaus containing paleontological resources, archaeological sites, and some of the most biodiverse terrain in the region. It was the last place in the lower 48 states to be mapped.
Both monuments were designated specifically because of their irreplaceable cultural, scientific, and natural significance. The current monument boundaries already allow for recreational use, hunting, fishing, and grazing — those weren’t prohibited before and they aren’t the issue now.
What the proclamations get wrong
The White House cited “restoring sensible land management” and stated the monument boundaries were too large to manage with current resources — while simultaneously gutting federal agency funding and staffing. The administration also suggested this is what Utah wants.
It isn’t. The majority of Utah voters supported keeping these monument boundaries intact. Across the West, 91% of voters believe existing public lands designations should remain in place. This is one of the most broadly unpopular decisions the administration has made on public lands.
The proclamations also cite critical minerals needed for national security as justification. But the outdoor recreation economy these landscapes support generates $1.3 trillion annually — that’s not insignificant either.
What this means beyond Utah
This is one rollback in a pattern. We’ve covered Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante, the Chaco Culture buffer zone, the DC Triumphal Arch, and more on The Parks Podcast — and the pattern is consistent. Required reviews bypassed or compressed. Public comment windows shortened. Protections established through years of advocacy dismantled in days.
As Katie Johnson said on the podcast: “Now is the time to speak up. Now is the time to begin or stay galvanized.”
How to take action
The comment period is over. But the pressure campaign is very much alive. Here’s what matters now:
Step 1 — Send a letter through Monuments for All
The simplest path. Go to monumentsforall.org/monuments — fill in your information and it goes directly to your representatives. Takes three minutes.
Step 2 — Contact your representatives directly
Go to congress.gov/members/find-your-member to find your senators and representative. Call or write. Ask them where they stand. Ask what they’re doing. Form letters get tallied — personal contacts get remembered.
Step 3 — If you’re a business
The Conservation Alliance is organizing a business sign-on letter opposing these proclamations. The business voice carries particular weight right now. Learn more at conservationalliance.com — and if your business touches the outdoor space in any way, get involved.
Step 4 — Share this page
The most powerful thing you can do right now is make sure more people know what happened. Share this page, share the episode, and keep talking about it.
Listen to the episode
I talked with Katie Johnson, Campaigns and Engagement Manager at the Conservation Alliance, immediately after the proclamations were signed. She walked me through exactly what happened, what the proclamations actually say versus what’s being claimed about them, and why the fight continues.
Who is fighting for these monuments
The Conservation Alliance
A business-supported organization protecting wild places that are important to outdoor recreation. Working with members and Brands for Public Lands partners on a business opposition letter.
conservationalliance.com
Monuments for All
A coalition fighting to protect America’s national monuments. Their action page is the fastest way to contact your representatives.
monumentsforall.org
Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition
The five tribal nations — Hopi, Navajo Nation, Ute Indian Tribe, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, and Zuni — whose advocacy created Bears Ears National Monument.
bearsearscoalition.org
BLM — Bears Ears National Monument
blm.gov/visit/bears-ears-national-monument
BLM — Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
blm.gov/programs/national-conservation-lands/utah/grand-staircase-escalante-national-monument
Stay informed
This story is developing. I’ll keep covering it on The Parks Podcast and in my Substack newsletter — In the Parks — as things unfold. Subscribe to stay updated.
Subscribe to In the Parks on Substack →
Follow @TheParksPodcast →
See you in the parks. 🌲
— Missy