The battle over management of the Bears Ears area in southeast Utah is still raging despite the fact that President Obama declared it a national monument shortly before he left office.
On Thursday, a committee in Utah’s state senate passed a resolution calling on President Trump to overturn the monument designation. It will now go to the full senate. The Salt Lake Tribune reports the 5-2 vote came after a hearing before 300 people, most of whom supported the monument. In January, a committee of the Navajo Nation Council voted 19-0 to oppose its reversal. In a release, Navajo Speaker LoRenzo Bates said the nation “remains committed to defending Bears Ears.” The monument was called for by an coalition of five tribes. Its proclamation establishes a commission with representatives from those tribes that will assist federal land agencies in management. It’s the first time Native Americans have been given such a prominent role.
