Native American tribal coalitions say the Trump administration made no effort to consult them before drastically shrinking two Utah national monuments this week, marking the second time in a decade that Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante have been reduced without tribal input. The decision has drawn sharp criticism from tribal representatives who helped establish one of the monuments in the first place, and raises questions about the government’s consultation obligations with Indigenous nations on matters affecting sacred lands and cultural resources in the West.
Executive Actions Cut Monuments by 90 Percent
President Trump signed executive orders Monday that reduce Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments by roughly 90 percent. The Bears Ears monument, which encompasses approximately 1.35 million acres under the current administration, would shrink to roughly 121,000 acres. Grand Staircase-Escalante would drop from approximately 1.87 million acres to about 182,000 acres. Utah’s all-Republican congressional delegation and state officials, including Governor Spencer Cox and House Speaker Mike Schultz, stood alongside the president as he signed the orders at the White House.
The Grand Staircase-Escalante order specifically identifies critical minerals—copper, iron, titanium, and zinc—as justification for opening the protected land to mineral extraction and development. Trump previously reduced both monuments during his first term in 2017; Former President Biden fully restored them in 2021.
Tribal Commission Disbanded, Consultation Obligations Eliminated
The Bears Ears reduction comes with an additional blow: Trump’s order terminates the federal government’s agreement with the Bears Ears Commission and stipulates that executive secretaries have “no obligation to engage, consult, or coordinate” with the commission going forward. The Bears Ears Commission was established as a groundbreaking tribal partnership in 2016 when President Obama created the monument at the urging of five Native American nations: the Hopi Tribe, Navajo Nation, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, Zuni Tribe, and Ute Indian Tribe.
The move represents a formal withdrawal of recognition for tribal stewardship and decision-making authority over lands sacred to these communities. Bears Ears was the first national monument established specifically at the request of Native American tribes, making the commission’s abolishment particularly significant to Indigenous leaders across the region.
Tribal Leaders Voice Frustration Over Lack of Input
Autumn Gillard, coordinator of the Grand Staircase-Escalante Inter-Tribal Coalition, held a news conference Tuesday to condemn the administration’s approach. She stated the coalition “had received zero consultation” before the orders were issued. Gillard challenged the legitimacy of a process that excluded tribal voices: “What about our tribal voices? We have constituents and members who are citizens of the state of Utah. Are their voices not equal to those of other citizens that live in the state?”
Davina Smith-Idjesa, another tribal representative, described the second reduction as emotionally difficult while emphasizing the deeper harm of eliminating the commission itself. “To reduce Bears Ears again is devastating, but to abolish the Bears Ears Commission to attempt to erase years of tribal leadership relationships is something I am still trying to fully process,” she said.
Pattern of Exclusion and Political Implications
The lack of tribal consultation mirrors the approach taken during Trump’s first term, when the monuments were reduced without advance input from Indigenous nations. That reduction stood until the Biden administration restored both monuments to their full size in 2021. The current reductions underscore a persistent challenge for tribal nations seeking meaningful participation in federal decisions affecting their ancestral lands and sacred sites.
Democratic members of Congress from Western states have criticized the monument reductions as prioritizing corporate and extractive industry interests over conservation and tribal sovereignty. Tribal coalitions have indicated they plan to challenge the orders, though the legal pathway remains uncertain given the administration’s broad executive authority over public lands.
What Comes Next
Tribal leaders and environmental organizations are expected to explore legal remedies and will likely press Congress for legislation requiring meaningful consultation on public lands decisions affecting Indigenous nations. The Wilderness Society and other groups have already begun organizing resistance to the reductions, and tribal coalitions are coordinating a response strategy that prioritizes tribal voices in any future negotiations over the monuments’ status.