2017-2021
In 2017, President Donald Trump reviewed and significantly reduced the size of national monuments, including Shash Jaa' and Grand Staircase-Escalante, primarily due to mineral and energy resources. Indigenous communities protested, viewing this as an attack on their sovereignty. The Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition, comprising several Native tribes, fought to restore the monuments. Many tribal leaders, like Clark Tenakhongva and Davis Filfred, expressed their opposition through media outlets. Lawsuits, petitions, and online campaigns ensued. The turning point came when Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, the first Native American Cabinet secretary, visited the monuments and engaged with tribal leaders in 2021. Her report prompted President Biden to restore the original boundaries of Shash Jaa' and Grand Staircase-Escalante on October 8, 2021.
Image credit: ‘I’m here to listen’: Haaland visit to Bears Ears balances diverging interests - Navajo Times