The Executive Order signed at The White House disbanded the Bears Ears Commission (BEC) and reduced the boundaries of the Bears Ears National Monument (BENM) from 1.36 million acres to approximately 121,000 acres.
Though we have long-anticipated a reduction of Bear Ears National Monument boundaries, Bears Ears Partnership will not let this action interrupt our essential place-based education and conservation efforts.
We anticipate significant impacts to our programs through the erasure of the current Bears Ears Resource Management Plan which represents years of Tribal input, hundreds of thousands of public comments, and millions of taxpayer dollars, and guides much of BEP’s work on the ground.
We are disheartened to see one of our primary partners, the Bears Ears Commission, be cut out of land management responsibilities through this decision, endangering an international model for collaboration between Native peoples and public lands.
BEP will continue to honor the work that went into the current management plan and work closely with the Commission and other Tribal partners to guide our considerable work in the landscape, as support and resources will be in short supply in the coming years.
Since 2010, Bears Ears Partnership has led on-the-ground efforts to protect the landscape and sacred cultural sites in and around Bears Ears National Monument, while educating visitors, school-aged children and communities on how to visit responsibly, limit their impact and understand the importance of earth-to-sky conservation in the region. This necessary approach is the backbone of our mission as we gain momentum to increase our impact through more social engagement with visitors who value the region, teaching and demonstrating clear principles of how to Visit With Respect, and direct conservation work with our Canyon Country Youth Corps.
We remain committed to a long-term, durable vision for the Bears Ears region through conservation and education. Put simply - The Land Can't Wait.
Join our efforts by supporting this work through donations, volunteerism, and sharing this message with your community.
Please Donate Today to help support our vital education and conservation programs, such as Visit With Respect, Bears Ears Conservation Partnership, Canyon Country Youth Corp, and Bears Ears Education Center.