What Changed to Utah's National Monuments?

On July 13, 2026, President Donald Trump signed presidential proclamations reducing the boundaries of two of Utah's most well-known national monuments: Bears Ears National Monument and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. The changes reduced the combined protected area from more than 3.2 million acres to approximately 303,000 acres, removing federal national monument protections from nearly 3 million acres of public land.

The decision marks the latest chapter in a years-long debate over the management of public lands in southern Utah.

Which National Monuments Were Affected?

Bears Ears National Monument

Established in 2016, Bears Ears National Monument encompasses mesas, canyons, forests, and desert landscapes in southeastern Utah. The area contains thousands of documented archaeological sites, including cliff dwellings, rock art, ceremonial locations, and historic structures. It is also considered culturally and spiritually significant by several Native American tribes.

Under the new proclamation, Bears Ears was reduced from approximately 1.36 million acres to about 121,100 acres.

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument

Established in 1996, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is known for its vast canyon systems, sandstone cliffs, badlands, fossil beds, and remote wilderness. The monument has become internationally recognized for its paleontological discoveries, including numerous dinosaur species identified within its boundaries.

Its protected area was reduced from approximately 1.87 million acres to about 181,500 acres.

What Does National Monument Status Mean?

National monuments are protected under the Antiquities Act of 1906, which authorizes the President of the United States to designate federal lands containing significant natural, cultural, historical, or scientific resources.

National monument designation does not make land private or inaccessible to the public. Instead, it directs federal agencies to manage the area with the protection of designated resources as a primary objective while still allowing many forms of recreation, such as hiking, camping, wildlife viewing, and hunting where permitted. Management varies depending on the monument and the federal agency responsible for it.

What Happens to the Land That Lost Monument Status?

The land removed from the monument boundaries remains federally owned public land managed primarily by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Forest Service. It is not transferred to private ownership simply because it is no longer part of a national monument.

However, management priorities for these lands may change. According to the White House and federal officials, the revised boundaries allow for additional land uses that were previously restricted within monument boundaries, including activities such as grazing, motorized recreation, timber harvesting in certain areas, and future consideration of mineral and energy development where otherwise allowed under federal law.

Many areas outside the revised monument boundaries may still have other federal designations—such as Wilderness Study Areas or Areas of Critical Environmental Concern—that provide different levels of protection. These designations remain separate from national monument status.

A History of Changing Boundaries

The boundaries of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante have changed multiple times over the past decade.

• 1996: Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument was established.

• 2016: Bears Ears National Monument was established.

• 2017: President Trump reduced both monuments during his first administration.

• 2021: President Joe Biden restored both monuments to their previous boundaries.

• 2026: President Trump again reduced the size of both monuments through new presidential proclamations.

These changes illustrate how monument boundaries have shifted between presidential administrations.

Cultural and Scientific Importance

Both monuments contain significant archaeological, geological, ecological, and paleontological resources.

Researchers have documented thousands of archaeological sites throughout Bears Ears, while Grand Staircase-Escalante has yielded one of the richest fossil records in North America, including numerous dinosaur discoveries that have expanded scientific understanding of the Late Cretaceous period. Both landscapes also provide habitat for a wide variety of native plants and wildlife adapted to the Colorado Plateau ecosystem.

What Happens Next?

The legal authority of a president to substantially reduce the size of an existing national monument remains a subject of ongoing legal debate. While the Antiquities Act clearly authorizes presidents to create national monuments, the extent of presidential authority to shrink previously designated monuments has not been definitively resolved by the U.S. Supreme Court. Previous boundary reductions have resulted in litigation, and additional legal challenges are expected following the 2026 proclamations.

As those legal questions move through the courts, Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante continue to be managed as public lands, though under substantially revised monument boundaries.