Bears Ears in the News: Interior Secretary Haaland at the Helm
Abajo Mountains near Monticello, Utah. Stephen Strom, 2015.
Welcome back to Bears Ears in the News. It’s been a whirlwind few weeks, and we’re getting ever closer to learning the fate of Bears Ears National Monument. Let’s dive in, shall we?
Haaland Confirmed as Interior Secretary
On March 15, 2021, New Mexico Rep. Deb Haaland (D-NM) was confirmed as Interior Secretary, making her the first-ever Indigenous Cabinet secretary in U.S. history, and only the third woman to hold the position. Indian Country Today has the story.
Haaland, a citizen of Laguna Pueblo, will oversee the many programs and activities of the Department of the Interior (DOI), including managing the U.S.’s National Park system and all activities on the country’s millions of acres of public lands, including recreation, conservation initiatives, and mineral and energy leasing. Perhaps most crucially, she will be the government’s top liaison with tribal nations.
Per the DOI mission, Haaland will be responsible for ensuring the Department “Uphold[s] trust and related responsibilities, recognizing the importance of government-to-government relationships with Indian tribes, Alaska Natives, and insular areas, and respecting self-determination and sovereignty.”
Haaland “represents a beautiful truth and promise of real change”
Regina Lopez-Whiteskunk is a member of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, the former co-chair of the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition, and one of the 20 individuals profiled in-depth in our book, "Voices from Bears Ears." In this piece for the The Salt Lake Tribune, she writes about the significance of Deb Haaland's appointment as the U.S.'s first Indigenous Interior Secretary.
“It will be easier and more relatable to engage with her because we need not spend so much time re-educating her about who we are as Indigenous people, what our beliefs are, and why, for our survival as a people, we need sacred landscapes like Bears Ears protected,” Lopez-Whiteskunk writes. “She will intuitively understand the importance of this place to our people, as opposed to many years of tribal consultation that has often felt superficial and relegated to a procedural check-off.
"As Indigenous women, we have teachings, values and many stories that make our societies who they are. Haaland represents a beautiful truth and promise of real change to make a better future for all."
A Monumental Visit to Southern Utah
Soon after came news that Haaland planned to visit Utah and speak with residents of the areas around Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments. She did so this week. While the full details of her visit are not yet public, and a decision on the monuments’ fate is still weeks away, she is widely expected to reverse former President Trump’s 2017 order to reduce the original monument by 85% and restore its original boundaries established by former President Barack Obama in 2016.
Utah’s paper of record, the Salt Lake Tribune, urged Haaland to do just that, noting that "[restoring the monument] is an action that has the support not only of the Indigenous peoples but also elected leaders in San Juan and Grand counties and the cities of Moab and Bluff."
We’ve Been Here Before, Haven’t We?
For those of you keeping score at home, Haaland is the third Interior Secretary in five years to make a trip to the state to determine the fate of Bears Ears. In July 2016, Sally Jewell visited San Juan County to hear from residents on both sides of the Bears Ears debate; following her trip, then-President Barack Obama designated the original 1.35-million-acre Bears Ears National Monument. Less than a year later, Jewell’s successor, Ryan Zinke, made a similar visit and was criticized for only meeting with monument opponents. In his report to former President Donald Trump, he recommended reducing the monument boundaries of both Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante; in December 2017, Trump did made the cut, as it were.
Utah’s GOP Leaders Want Legislation
Given Haaland’s prior statements and actions in support of restoring and even expanding Bears Ears, and the Biden administration’s apparent desire to reverse all of Trump’s executive decisions pertaining to public lands (see his January 27, 2021 executive actions to address the climate crisis), the outcome of Haaland’s visit would seem to be foreordained. Even so, Utah’s Congressional delegation expressed appreciation for Haaland’s decision to visit the state before making a recommendation to President Biden.
““Her trip to Utah will allow her the opportunity to speak with the people who live and work on the lands, whose voices may otherwise go unheard, before making any recommendations to the president,” Utah GOP leaders, including Gov. Spencer Cox and the state’s congressional delegation, said in a statement on March 17. The end goal for Utah politicians, however, is not the restoration of the monument via executive order - in other words, with Biden’s signature - but rather the coveted “legislative solution” that would codify monument boundaries in a statute passed by Congress. Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) tweeted, “We must have a permanent legislative solution—with input from Utah's stakeholders.”
Stay Tuned
The fate of Bears Ears lies in Haaland’s hands, and a decision could come as soon as next month. We’ll be watching. Like and follow us on Facebook for (almost) daily updates on the Bears Ears saga. We’re also on Instagram @bearsearscountry, where we share images and voices from Bears Ears country.