Staff Reports
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. — Members of the 25th Navajo Nation Council expressed strong opposition following President Donald Trump’s decision to significantly reduce the boundaries of the Bears Ears National Monument, located in Utah, through an executive order. His action also reduced the size of the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument.
The President’s executive orders reduce the Bears Ears National Monument by approximately 91% and the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument by approximately 90%.
In 2017, the 23rd Navajo Nation Council unanimously supported a proclamation issued by former President Barack Obama, which established the Bears Ears National Monument. The land designation was reduced by President Trump during his first term and reversed by President Joe Biden.
Speaker Crystalyne Curley said the reductions create risks for landscapes that hold cultural, spiritual, and historical significance for the Navajo people and other tribes.
“These lands are not simply public lands. They are sacred places that preserve our history, our identity, and the teachings passed down through generations,” Curley said. “The Navajo Nation has long advocated for the protection of Bears Ears through meaningful consultation and stewardship. We oppose actions that weaken those protections and diminish the voices of tribes in managing these culturally significant landscapes.”
Council Delegate Curtis Yanito has voiced strong support for protecting the national monuments and preserving the current Resource Management Plan, recognizing the importance of tribal consultation, co-stewardship, and Traditional Indigenous Knowledge in the management of culturally significant lands.
Yanito said the Council remains committed to working with tribal partners to protect sacred sites, archaeological resources, wildlife habitat, and landscapes that continue to hold cultural and spiritual importance for future generations.
“The federal government has a trust responsibility to consult with tribal nations and to honor our voices when decisions affect our ancestral homelands,” Yanito said. “The Navajo Nation will continue advocating for meaningful government to government consultation and the protection of these irreplaceable cultural landscapes.”
