July 2026 Alert! Utah Monument Reductions
We are shocked – but not entirely surprised – by the news from Utah this Monday. After sharing just last week that the Congressional Review Act would not be used to undo the resource management plan associated with Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, the situation has now changed dramatically.
On July 13, 2026, President Trump announced he reduced the boundaries of Bears Ears National Monument and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument by a combined 3 million acres, which virtually eliminates them. For Bears Ears, this action threatens not only the cultural landscape, but also one of the nation’s most innovative models of collaborative management, where Tribal Nations and federal agencies work together to care for this ancestral landscape.
Friends of Ironwood Forest stands in solidarity with all those affected by this news, including the Grand Staircase Escalante Intertribal Coalition, the Bears Ears Intertribal Coalition, our partners on the ground in Utah, and public lands advocates across the southwest and the nation. Arizonans and Americans of all backgrounds overwhelmingly support public lands. This support has been demonstrated time and time again and underscores that Utah’s national monuments are treasures that belong to all of us.
As always, watch this space for further updates.
Read more here: https://www.conservationlands.org/callous-executive-order-virtually-eliminates-two-of-americas-national-monuments
And take action here: https://monumentsforall.org/monuments
(Photo credit: Conservation Lands Foundation)
