Biden To Restore Bears Ears, Grand Staircase-Escalante and Seamounts National Monuments

The Biden Administration has announced they will restore the three National Monuments heavily downsized by Trump to their former size. | Katie Cooney photo.

President Biden will restore three National Monuments to their former size: Bears Ears, Grand Staircase-Escalante and Northeast Canyons and Seamounts. All three National Monuments were drastically reduced in size and lost protections by the Trump administration at the behest of the fishing and resource extraction industries. Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante are located in southern Utah and contain a treasure trove of cultural and paleontological resources, while Northeast Canyons and Seamounts is located in the northwestern Atlantic Ocean off the New England coast and is a vital marine habitat. On Biden’s first day in office, he ordered a review of the process Trump went through to strip protections, and was later advised by Interior Secretary Deb Haaland (the first Native American to hold a cabinet position).

“I am proud to stand with President Biden in restoring these monuments and fulfilling his commitment to the American people,” said Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland in a Department Of the Interior press release. “On my visit to Utah, I had the distinct honor to speak with many people who care deeply about this land. The historical connection between Indigenous peoples and Bears Ears is undeniable; our Native American ancestors sustained themselves on the landscape since time immemorial and evidence of their rich lives is everywhere one looks. This living landscape must be protected so that all Americans have the profound opportunity to learn and cherish our history.”