FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Flagstaff, AZ — The Grand Canyon Trust is profoundly saddened by today’s presidential action to gut Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears national monuments.
Though boosters of these radical acts say they represent a “compromise,” President Trump’s attack on our national monuments represents the most drastic assault on protected public lands in American history. It is an attempt to tear down the legacy of his predecessors while deeply dishonoring Native Americans at the expense of future generations. He has a duty to uphold and strengthen our national parks and monuments, and his actions today are a strong indicator that he serves narrow special interests at the expense of public lands.
For over 20 years, the Grand Canyon Trust has worked to protect Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Our members and volunteers have invested thousands of hours of stewardship and advocacy to leave the monument better than we found it. President Trump’s action dismisses the love that so many have for the monument, and guts the ideals the monument represents.
Bears Ears National Monument is more than a complete record of thousands of years of human history, stunning scenery, geology, and a treasure trove of unexplored fossils; it represents the promise to grow, share, and learn from native people about their profoundly sacred relationship with this land. President Trump’s attempt to tear down Bears Ears is unpopular, unjust, and unlawful.
The Antiquities Act of 1906 clearly provides the president a one-way authority to create national monuments, not to diminish them. The Grand Canyon Trust will challenge these egregious actions on Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments in court. We stand behind the Native American nations that worked so hard to protect Bears Ears, and we’ll continue advocating for the interests of national monument-loving Americans.
Photos
Images of cultural resources and stunning scenery cut out of the monuments available for royalty-free media use ›
For high-resolution versions, please contact Tim Peterson at tpeterson@grandcanyontrust.org
Maps
Maps of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments available for royalty-free media use ›
For high-resolution versions, please contact Ashley Davidson at adavidson@grandcanyontrust.org
