President Donald Trump announced Monday he will reduce the size of two national monuments in Utah: Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante. These actions reverse earlier proclamations by his predecessors, who designated the areas for preservation under the Antiquities Act of 1906. This law grants presidents the authority to protect sites of cultural, historical, or scientific significance.
Trump's decision revisits actions from his first term, many of which were later reversed by President Joe Biden. The ongoing shifts highlight how national monuments have become a contentious issue in public land management. Trump is not the first president to alter the boundaries of established monuments.
During his presidency, Trump made limited Antiquities Act proclamations, including the two that reduced the size of the sprawling Utah monuments. These areas feature significant natural landscapes and are considered sacred by some Native American tribes. The Grand Staircase-Escalante area also contains substantial coal reserves, and the Bears Ears region has uranium deposits.
In contrast, President Biden's initial use of the Antiquities Act was to restore the original boundaries of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante, citing their spiritual, cultural, and prehistoric importance. Biden also established 10 new monuments, including sites related to historical events and figures, as well as areas near the Grand Canyon.
Supporters of Trump's downsizing order argue that the protected areas were too extensive and impeded the extraction of essential minerals. Trump, during a White House event, described the move as returning land to the public. Utah officials, who have long advocated for state control over land management, applauded the decision. Governor Spencer Cox stated that the lands remaining outside the modified boundaries will continue to be protected under existing federal and state laws.
However, conservationists and members of local tribal nations have expressed concerns that the order could open these lands to mining interests and disrespect tribal co-stewardship. The Bears Ears area is currently managed through a collaborative agreement between tribal nations and federal agencies. Davina Smith-Idjesa, a Navajo Nation citizen and co-chair of the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition, stated that their connection to the land cannot be erased.
Environmental groups have contended that the Antiquities Act allows presidents to create monuments but not to undo them. Nevertheless, historical precedent shows that presidents have altered monument sizes before. According to a National Park Service database, more than a dozen proclamations have diminished national monuments since 1912.
Past instances include President Woodrow Wilson reducing the acreage of Mount Olympus National Park and President Harry Truman doing the same for Santa Rosa Island National Monument. President Dwight Eisenhower was notably active in undoing prior proclamations, diminishing six monuments, including Arches in Utah and Great Sand Dunes in Colorado, which have since become national parks.
Unlike national parks, which require congressional establishment, most of the over 100 national monuments were created by presidential proclamation. These monuments are typically managed by agencies such as the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, or the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The designation typically imposes strict protections, prohibiting drilling, mining, and new construction within their boundaries.
The Antiquities Act was signed into law by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906, following advocacy from educators and scientists seeking to protect federal lands from artifact looting and unregulated collecting. It established the first legal protections for natural and cultural resources of historic or scientific value on federal lands. Roosevelt's first use of the act designated Devils Tower in Wyoming as a national monument.
All but three U.S. presidents have utilized the Antiquities Act to preserve unique landscapes and cultural resources.