Ryan Benally: Bears Ears was a false promise for Native Americans

Friday, May 26, 2017  

Ryan Benally, a citizen of the Navajo Nation who lives in Utah, supports the repeal of the Bears Ears National Monument despite widespread support in Indian Country:

As a Native American living in San Juan County, Utah all my life I would like to see Bears Ears National Monument be RESCINDED.

We understand that the Antiquities Act was only meant for protection of areas for which the SMALLEST AREA compatible with the proper care and management of the objects to be protected.

The Bears Ears Buttes is no more than 200 acres COMBINED! The Cultural heritage sites and ruins all combined absolutely does not constitute the need to lock up MILLIONS of extra acres of land away from the actual locals and Native Americans that do use the land.

We provided much for the land as the land provided for us.

Read More on the Story:
Ryan Benally: Rescind Bears Ears National Monument Designation (Indian Country Media Network 5/26)

Federal Register Notice:
Review of Certain National Monuments Established Since 1996; Notice of Opportunity for Public Comment (May 11, 2017)

Documents show few meetings between Secretary Zinke and tribes (May 22, 2017)
Deadline looms in Secretary Zinke's review of Bears Ears and other monuments (May 15, 2017)
Terry Tempest Williams: Will Bears Ears be the next Standing Rock? (May 8, 2017)
Tribes vow fight in effort to protect Bears Ears National Monument (May 3,2017)
Tribes encounter silence from Secretary Zinke in Bears Ears review (May 2, 2017)
Ute Tribe demands 'voice' as Trump orders review of Bears Ears (April 28, 2017)
Trump singles out Bears Ears as an 'abuse' of government's power(April 26, 2017)
Jacqueline Keeler: New monument marks victory for tribal sites (January 10, 2017)
Tribes celebrate designation of national monument at Bears Ears (January 9, 2017)
Mike Lee: Don't declare monument at sacred Bears Ears in Utah (December 13, 2016)
Sacred land protection efforts face questions with Donald Trump (November 18, 2016)
Emotions run strong as #NoDAPL seeps into debate on controversial public lands bill (September 14, 2016)
Editorial: Bears Ears in Utah deserves protection as new monument (August 1, 2016)
Tweedy Sombrero Navarrete: A Christian call to protect sacred land (July 29, 2016)
Richard Moe: Protect sacred and ancestral sites at Bears Ears (July 20, 2016)
Tribes gear up for fight over protections for sacred land in Utah (July 15, 2016)
Rebecca Benally: Navajos in Utah oppose Bears Ears monument (April 13, 2016)
Non-Indian official decries effort to protect sacred lands in Utah (March 15, 2016)
Tribes oppose effort to stop Bears Ears National Monument in Utah (March 10, 2016)
Regina Lopez-Whiteskunk: Protect Bears Ears for new generations (March 4, 2016)
Obama weighs tribal request for Bears Ears National Monument (February 12, 2016)
Tribes reiterate bid for national monument at Bears Ears in Utah (January 22, 2016)
Navajo Nation Council dispels misinformation about Bears Ears (October 29, 2015)
Tribes call for establishment of Bears Ears National Monument (October 16, 2015)
Jim Enote: Bears Ears worthy of status as national monument (October 14, 2015)
Tribes call for new national monument on sacred lands in Utah (August 5, 2015)