Stories about Utah
Monument Protections Cut as Chaco Buffer Faces Proposed Revocation
Archaeology Southwest reports that executive orders reduce Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments by nearly 3 million acres, while the Bureau of Land Management seeks to revoke a 20-year protection order covering federal lands around Chaco Culture National Historical Park. Tribal governments and preservation groups are opposing both actions.
Archaeology Southwest Highlights Threats to Section 106 and Southwest Heritage
A roundup from Archaeology Southwest points to proposed changes to Section 106, border-barrier construction concerns in the Lower Pecos Canyonlands and Big Bend National Park, and potential development near several protected cultural landscapes.
Groups Ask Court to Revive Challenge to Bears Ears Reduction
Eight Tribal, conservation, preservation, recreation and scientific organizations have asked a federal court to reopen litigation over Bears Ears National Monument. Their filing challenges President Donald Trump’s July 13, 2026, proclamation, which reduced the monument from about 1.35 million acres to 121,096 acres and sought to end its collaborative management commission.