(July 13, 2026) – President Trump has signed Executive Orders shrinking the boundaries of Bears Ears National Monument and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. This comes just weeks after an expedited effort to use the Congressional Review Act to overturn Grand Staircase-Escalante’s management plan failed in Congress. The Trump Administration launched a similar attack in 2017.
“Today’s decision to shrink Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments is a dangerous attack on Tribal Nations, communities, and economies across the west. These ancestral homelands protect historic artifacts, offer world-class outdoor activities, support local businesses, and drive the state’s tourism and recreation economies. National Monument designations have long been championed by Tribal Nations, and the vast majority of voters across the West support keeping existing national monument designations in place,” said Paul Hendricks, Executive Director of The Conservation Alliance. “The Conservation Alliance, our Tribal partners, and business members have collectively worked to protect these landscapes for decades and we are prepared to stand up, once again, to defend them.”
According to a study released earlier this year by The Conservation Alliance and Headwaters Economics, monuments bring significant economic value to Utah’s economy and the national outdoor recreation economy as a whole. Data shows that both national monuments drive visitors, customers, recreationalists, and more to communities that depend on outdoor exploration and tourism to thrive.
About The Conservation Alliance
The Conservation Alliance is the leading business coalition for conservation. Uniting companies across industries, perspectives, and geographies, we harness the collective power of our members to protect lands and waters for future generations. Our dual top-down and bottom-up approach pairs corporate advocacy with funding for grassroots action on the ground. Investing in The Conservation Alliance is not only an investment in protecting the resources outdoor businesses depend on—it’s a way to strengthen the outdoor economy and ensure long-term business resilience. Since its founding in 1989, TCA and its members have helped protect over 125 million acres of and nearly 5,000 river miles by advocating for common-sense policies and granting $34.9 million to local groups to improve and protect critical landscapes across the country. With natural places facing a barrage of threats, they welcome all brands that value North American landscapes to join them in leveraging the power of business to drive conservation. For complete information about The Conservation Alliance, visit conservationalliance.com.
Media Contact:
Lilly Zoller
248-302-1553
lilly@conservationalliance.com
