SALT LAKE CITY – President Barack Obama designated two national monuments Wednesday at sites in Utah and Nevada that have become flashpoints over use of public land in the West, marking the administration’s latest move to protect environmentally sensitive areas in its final days.
The Bears Ears National Monument in Utah will cover 1.35 million acres in the Four Corners, the White House said. In a victory for Native American tribes and conservationists, the designation protects land that is considered sacred and is home to an estimated 100,000 archaeological sites, including ancient cliff dwellings.
It’s a blow for Utah Republican leaders and many rural residents who fear it will add another layer of federal control and close the area to energy development and recreation, a common refrain in the battle over use of the American West’s vast open spaces.
In Nevada, a 300,000-acre Gold Butte National Monument outside Las Vegas would protect a scenic and ecologically fragile area near where rancher Cliven Bundy led in an armed standoff with government agents in 2014.
The White House and conservationists said both sites were at risk of looting and vandalism.
“Today’s actions will help protect this cultural legacy and will ensure that future generations are able to enjoy and appreciate these scenic and historic landscapes,” Obama said in a statement.
His administration has rushed to safeguard vulnerable areas ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration. It has blocked new mining claims outside Yellowstone National Park and new oil drilling in the Arctic Ocean.
Obama’s creation and expansion of monuments covers more acreage than any other president.
Trump’s upcoming presidency has tempered the excitement for tribal leaders and conservationists, with some worrying he could try to reverse or reduce some of Obama’s expansive land protections.
U.S. Rep. Rob Bishop of Utah, who opposes the Bears Ears monument, has suggested presidents have the power to undo monuments, though it has not been done before.
A coalition of tribes pushed for the creation of Utah’s eighth national monument, though they asked Obama to make it about 500,000 acres larger than the monument he named Wednesday.
Tribal members visit the area to perform ceremonies, collect herbs and wood for medicinal and spiritual purposes.
Navajo Nation President Russell Begaye called it an exciting day for his tribe and people of all cultures.
“We have always looked to Bears Ears as a place of refuge, as a place where we can gather herbs and medicinal plants, and a place of prayer and sacredness,” Begaye said. “The rocks, the winds, the land – they are living, breathing things that deserve timely and lasting protection.”
The Navajo Nation is one of five tribes that will get an elected official on a first-of-its-kind tribal commission for the Bears Ears monument. The panel will provide federal land managers with tribal expertise and historical knowledge about the area, federal officials said.
Regina Whiteskunk, a former Ute Mountain Ute Tribal Council member, lobbied strongly for the monument, including traveling to Washington, D.C..
“I’m ecstatic and was in tears for a bit when I learned the president has given this land permanent protection,” she said. “Native tribes put aside their differences and came together to preserve lands we rely on and are a part of our heritage.”
Deborah Gangloff, CEO of Crow Canyon Archaeological Center, based in Cortez, said the monument’s cultural and natural resources are a key aspect of the center’s mission.
“We are thrilled because it protects significant areas of historical importance, from ancient Native American sites to the more recent Mormon settlers,” she said. “A national monument is the best way to go in order to protect these areas.”
Tucked between existing national parks and the Navajo reservation, the proposed monument features stunning vistas, with a mix of cliffs, plateaus, towering rock formations, rivers and canyons across wide expanses covered by sagebrush and junipers.
Opponents agree the area is a natural treasure worth preserving but said the federal designation would create restrictions on oil and gas development as well residents’ ability to camp, bike, hike and gather wood.
No new mining or oil and gas development will be allowed within the monument boundaries, said Christy Goldfuss, managing director of the White House Council on Environmental Quality.
Commissioners in San Juan County, Utah, opposed a national monument, and proposed legislation to improve management of the area, but it was not passed by Congress.
“I’m appalled that we have a president who acts as if there are no limitations on his power,” said Commissioner Phil Lyman. “It is a top-down executive order that the people here are very unhappy about.”
He said San Juan County will fight to have the designation overturned.
“My money is on President-elect (Donald) Trump to get it reversed,” Lyman said. “The country needs to get back on track to where we are not ruled by a king, and the local people are listened to.”
Montezuma County Commissioner James Lambert said national monuments tend to be unfunded mandates that restrict multiple uses.
“They don’t have the money to take care of land as it is, and this will just draw more attention to the area,” he said.
To many residents in Blanding, which sits near the new monument, the proposal is a repackaged push from environmental groups who recruited tribes after previous attempts at the designation fizzled out.
In Nevada, retiring Democratic U.S. Sen. Harry Reid has pushed for protections at Gold Butte, a remote area northeast of Lake Mead, but GOP members of the state’s congressional delegation have been vocal opponents.
The Journal reporter Jim Mimiaga contributed to this report.
Poll: Do you support President Obama’s designation of the 1.35 million-acre Bears Ears National Monument in southeastern Utah?
No - 731 - 36.81%
Yes - 1255 - 63.19%
