Two major changes to federal land protections in the Southwest are drawing opposition from Tribal governments and archaeological preservation organizations. Archaeology Southwest says executive orders signed Monday reduce Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments by nearly 3 million acres, while a separate Bureau of Land Management proposal would reopen lands surrounding Chaco Culture National Historical Park to potential mineral development.
According to the figures cited by Archaeology Southwest, 1.69 million acres were removed from Grand Staircase-Escalante and 1.24 million acres from Bears Ears—about 90 percent of the area previously protected in each monument. The monuments would be reduced to just over 181,500 acres and approximately 121,100 acres, respectively, according to maps released by the White House. The changes remove several named locations from monument protection, including the Grand Staircase and Valley of the Gods.
The source reports that the new proclamations also disband the Bears Ears Commission, an entity involved in developing the monument’s resource management plan. The Native American Rights Fund, which has represented the Hopi Tribe, Pueblo of Zuni, and Ute Mountain Ute Tribe in litigation concerning Bears Ears since 2017, said it intends to challenge the changes in court.
At Chaco, the BLM has opened a public comment period on an environmental assessment proposing to revoke Public Land Order No. 7923. Issued in 2023, the order withdrew about 336,404 acres of federal land around Chaco Culture National Historical Park from future oil, gas, and mineral leasing for 20 years, creating an existing 10-mile protection zone. The comment period is scheduled to close July 29.
The All Pueblo Council of Governors said the assessment does not incorporate information from Pueblo nations about their relationship to the landscape. The Pueblo of Acoma also said its requests for consultation with officials responsible for the decision had gone unanswered. Separately, the Chaco Heritage Tribal Association disputes the BLM’s description of efforts to obtain a study it says is relevant to the assessment.
Archaeology Southwest argues that the actions disregard Tribal sovereignty and threaten archaeological resources and traditional cultural places. Its president, Steve Nash, said the organization supports Tribal and Pueblo efforts opposing the changes. The organization is urging the public to comment on the Chaco proposal and sign a petition through Protectchaco.org.
