After nearly four years of uncertainty, Friends of Cedar Mesa welcomes the restoration of Bears Ears National Monument and is grateful the region has once again been afforded the protections it so justly deserves.
“This news is not only welcomed, it’s celebrated,” said Friends of Cedar Mesa Executive Director Joe Neuhof. “There is no place that deserves protection under the Antiquities Act more than Bears Ears.”
Using the authority granted to a president under the Antiquities Act, President Biden restored the boundaries of Bears Ears National Monument today, Oct. 8, 2021, ensuring the lands safeguarded in previous proclamations are once again protected.
The restoration of Bears Ears honors the wishes of a historic coalition of Tribes that have collectively urged protection of their ancestral homelands and acknowledges the importance of this landscape to Modern Indigenous Peoples. What is more, the White House promises “to make Bears Ears a model for Tribal participation in the management of the Monument.”
“It is imperative the voices of Tribes and Pueblos be at the forefront in the management of our ancestral lands,” said Friends of Cedar Mesa Board Member Christopher Lewis, Zuni. “Protections for this sacred landscape are long overdue, and the restoration of Bears Ears is an opportunity to honor the connections between Indigenous peoples and their homelands.”
The President’s action once again protects thousands of cultural sites that were stripped from the monument by the largest 
attempted reduction of public lands protections in U.S. history, and undoubtedly, helps preserve an important portion of a larger contiguous cultural landscape spanning the Southwest. Bears Ears is home to more cultural and archaeological sites than any other national park or national monument in the United States.
“While some may view this landscape as another park to visit, for me it’s a living landscape – one that provides sustenance and healing,” said Friends of Cedar Mesa Board Member Louis Williams, Diné. “While we are grateful these lands are once again protected, they must also be respected.”
The need for protections afforded under Bears Ears National Monument are nothing new. In fact, it has been more than 150 years since this region was first brought to the attention of those in Washington D.C. when the father of the Antiquities Act, Edgar Lee Hewett, included this landscape in a report submitted in 1904, which detailed the need for protections.
“Action for this world-class landscape could wait no longer. Now, it’s time to get to work to provide the real protections on the ground that are vital to address ongoing challenges, especially those resulting from increased visitation,” said Friends of Cedar Mesa Board Chairman Vaughn Hadenfeldt.
According to the White House, the BLM will commit additional resources to the region, including signage, visitor infrastructure, and additional rangers – all desperately needed to make a real on-the-ground difference for the future of Bears Ears.
“This has not been an easy road, and the fate of these lands will surely be challenged again,” Neuhof said. “We will continue efforts to collaborate with Indigenous partners, government agencies, elected leaders, and communities in San Juan County to facilitate work that will help ensure these lands are preserved for future generations.”