Commentary: Today, the Biden Administration announced restoration of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Escalante National Monuments, reversing President Trump’s illegal action to strip protections from these sacred and important lands and at last honoring his promise to Indigenous communities led by the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition.
In a statement, the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition said, “By taking this action, President Biden will be recognizing the deep and enduring ancestral and cultural connections that Tribes have to this landscape and taking a step toward honoring his commitment to Indigenous People by acknowledging their original place in this country that is now our shared home.”
Across New Mexico, community leaders reacted:
Julia Bernal (Sandia and Taos Pueblo, Yuchi-Creek Nation), Director of Pueblo Action Alliance:
“The Pueblo Action Alliance stands in solidarity with the entire global Indigenous struggle who are fighting to protect their lands, water, and sacred places. We extend our gratitude to the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition for their work to fully restore Bears Ears National Monument. We are extending our gratitude to our relative, Secretary Haaland as well as other Indigenous leadership, who have taken into account the ancestral and cultural importance of this place to Indigneous people across our Southwest cultural landscapes, and the impact that cultural land designations have on our sacred landscapes, and our people. This is a stepping stone towards more land designations that involve co-management and tribal consent interwoven into land management plans. We look to the Indigenous leadership to stand with their communities and advance protections of our lands and waters.”
Adrian Angulo, Deputy Director of New Mexico Wildlife Federation:
“Establishing Bears Ears and Grand Staircase National Monuments was a tremendous victory, and a devastating loss when 85% of its protections were stripped away by the previous administration. I have visited public lands across the country, and the landscape is unlike any other place I have experienced. With its thousands of ancient cliff dwellings, rock paintings, and artifacts across astounding canyons and caves, it demands our respect and requires the utmost protections. I am proud of our administration and Secretary Haaland for centering Tribal communities and acting decisively to restore the Monuments to their full scale, avoiding any future devastating loss of environmental, cultural, and spiritual value. I look forward to working with the administration to protect other sacred places in New Mexico like the Caja del Rio.”
Charlene Juanico (Zia, Jemez, and Acoma Pueblo), Nuestra Tierra Conservation Project Board Member:
“The actions of the Trump Administration in dismantling and shrinking protections for Bears Ears and Grand Staircase National Monuments were manipulating to Native people across the country, as well as every non-Native citizen. New Mexico is grateful for the action taken by President Biden and by Interior Secretary Haaland to ensure that the nexus of Indigenous cultures that make up the storied history of Bears Ears won’t be erased. To be spoken of, and embraced with courage and knowledge. This is an important first step and we look to the administration with urgency to meet President Biden’s goal of protecting 30% of the nation’s lands and waters by 2030. Though in all reality, it should be more.”
Alexandra Merlino, Partnership for Responsible Business Executive Director:
“Conserving our pristine public lands is good for business. With the reversal of this Trump-era, anti-conservation move, the outdoor recreation industry is positioned to grow even more quickly. Combined with new initiatives, like 30x30, the Biden-Harris Administration continues to make investments that matter - investments that protect our most precious natural resources, and help to grow responsible businesses in the process. We look forward to working with President Biden to act swiftly in New Mexico to meet our conservation goals.”