Lawsuits expected after President Trump changes Bears Ears boundary

Wednesday, June 28, 2017  

The Navajo Nation and environmental groups are expected to file lawsuits to protect the boundaries of the Bears Ears National Monument, according to the Associated Press.

The tribe has been one of the strongest proponents of the new monument in Utah. Chief Manuelito, who signed the Navajo Nation treaty with the United States in 1868, was born near Bears Ears in 1818.

“The Navajo Nation is asking that the national monument designation remain in place until Congress acts to protect the full Bears Ears landscape and until an even more comprehensive co-management policy is ensured through the agreement,” President Russell Begaye said after Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke recommended a change in the boundaries over the objections of tribes.

The final decision on Bears Ears is presumably up to President Donald Trump but legal experts disagree on his authority to modify the boundaries of an existing national monument. Turtle Talk has posted links to scholarly articles on the issue.

Read More on the Story:
Utah lawsuits to test president’s power to shrink monuments (AP 6/28)

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

Secretary Zinke rejects complaints about consultation and Bears Ears (June 24, 2017)
Tribes lash out at Trump administration for lapses in consultation (June 13, 2017)
Ryan Benally: Bears Ears was a false promise for Native Americans (May 26, 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)