Shape the Future of Bears Ears National Monument
Bears Ears National Monument, UT, Ancestral lands of Navajo, Ute, Ute Mountain Ute, Hopi and Zuni. Photo credit: Jasper Gibson
After restoring Bears Ears National Monument last October, the administration is now putting together a management plan that will shape the future stewardship of the Bears Ears landscape for years to come.
Until October 31, outdoor recreationists and the many others who are committed to seeing Bears Ears National Monument protected have an opportunity to share input on the management plan with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).
The effort to protect Bears Ears and designate it as a National Monument was led by the Tribes, and supported by the human-powered community through robust advocacy, garnering support from outdoor recreationists and the outdoor industry. The climbing community in particular developed collaborative relationships with the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition in the ongoing effort to protect the landscape. The resulting 2016 designation specifically acknowledged outdoor recreation in the region, including rock climbing. When President Biden restored Bears Ears National Monument last year, he also acknowledged the importance of climbing and other outdoor recreation activities, as well as the extensive advocacy and stewardship efforts by the climbing community.
Outdoor Alliance shared a few key priorities for the management plan of Bears Ears National Monument. You can read our full comment letter to the agencies here. First, the Tribal co-management agreement for Bears Ears National Monument is an important, historic step that acknowledges and elevates the role of Tribal Nations in managing these landscapes. The management plan should elevate Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge in the ongoing stewardship of Bears Ears National Monument.
Bears Ears National Monument is a landscape with some of the most scenic, wild, and adventurous rock climbing in the desert southwest, most notably Indian Creek, which attracts thousands of climbers each year. The management plan should take into account a number of considerations for ongoing and future management of recreation in the area, including:
Managing and possibly expanding camping, especially around Indian Creek, where the demand for camping has increased significantly.
Providing adequate human waste facilities and waste management more generally.
Sustainable management for trails, especially non-motorized recreation trails, such as those that provide access through the Indian Creek corridor.
Climbing management, especially around visitor use and cultural and natural resource protection. Alongside Access Fund, American Alpine Club, and local climbing organizations, we suggest developing a climbing management approach that is consistent with protecting objects, values, cultural resources, wildlife habitat, and vegetation.
Educating visitors, especially through the Recreate Responsibly campaign, which was co-founded by Outdoor Alliance, and works to resolve and reduce recreation-related impacts on the outdoors.
Alongside creating this management plan, the Forest Service is also in the midst of a forest plan revision for the Manti-La Sal National Forest, and a portion of the forest is within the Bears Ears National Monument. The Forest Service and BLM should work closely together, and in consultation with Tribes, to protect the 1.36 million acre landscape.
As the BLM works to put together a management plan for Bears Ears National Monument, it is looking for your input on “the scope of analysis, potential alternatives and identification of relevant information” before the end of October. The deadline has now passed to send a comment to the BLM, but you can sign up below to get email alerts for comment periods and other key advocacy moments to protect the places you love.