HECHO Statement on Resource Management Plan for the Bears Ears National Monument

Over the past 17 months, BLM, the U.S. Forest Service, and the Commission Tribes have been working together to create a draft Resource Management Plan for the Bears Ears National Monument, which was released on March 8, 2024. 

"Since time immemorial, Bears Ears National Monument has been stewarded by the Navajo Nation, Hopi Tribe, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, Ute Indian Tribe, and Pueblo of Zuni. HECHO supports the newly released draft Resource Management Plan for Bears Ears, which incorporates Traditional Indigenous Knowledge to protect the biodiversity, integrity, and health of this culturally and archeologically significant landscape," says Camilla Simon, executive director of HECHO.

As allies to Tribal nations, the conservation community must support the Tribes' vision for Bears Ears because their vision will ensure that their ancestral homelands and sacred places are protected in culturally inclusive and consistent ways.

The Bears Ears Commission must continue to have a meaningful say in managing this Monument. Recreation and other land uses should respect Indigenous peoples' spiritual and ceremonial practices. It's critical to balance the needs of recreationists with the values and vision of those who have lived and taken care of this land since time immemorial," adds Simon.

Submit a public comment in support of the plan here.