The National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) has lauded the draft management plan for Bears Ears National Monument in Utah, released by the Bureau of Land Management. The plan is notable for its inclusion of contributions from five Native American tribes through consultations with federal agencies, marking it as a historic initiative.
According to a fact sheet on the Bears Ears National Monument Draft Management Plan, the monument spans 1.36 million acres of public land in southeastern Utah. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) oversees 1,075,000 acres, while the Forest Service manages the remaining 290,000 acres. This draft plan was made public earlier this month following discussions with cooperating agencies, the State of Utah, and the Bears Ears Commission.
The same fact sheet reveals that President Joe Biden established the Bears Ears Commission to "ensure that management decisions affecting the monument reflect expertise and traditional and historical knowledge of Tribal Nations" by offering "guidance and recommendations on the development and implementation of management plans and on management of the entire monument."
An NPCA press release indicates that this draft plan was released after two years of collaboration with the tribes constituting the Bears Ears Commission. These tribes include the Ute Indian Tribe, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, Zuni Tribe, Hopi Tribe, and Navajo Nation. The final draft will offer guidance on resource policies and procedures aimed at protecting Bears Ears National Monument.
In a statement included in NPCA's press release, Theresa Pierno, president and CEO of NPCA said: "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." She added: "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."
