Action Alert

Protect Bears Ears, Grand Staircase, Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni

On February 12, 2025, Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum said he would not target national parks and monuments for energy development, like oil and gas drilling and uranium mining. Ask him to keep his promise.

Action Alert

In February 2025, Secretary Burgum called national parks and national monuments “our most precious places,” and said he was not talking about opening them up to energy development. Now sources indicate that discussions are happening at the U.S. Department of the Interior about how to abolish or shrink Bears Ears, Grand Staircase-Escalante, Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni, and other monuments.

Please urge Secretary Burgum to stay true to his word and protect monuments. Some points to include in your note:

  • Urge Secretary Burgum to protect the current boundaries of Bears Ears, Grand Staircase-Escalante, and Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni national monuments.
  • Remind Secretary Burgum that there is little energy potential within Bears Ears and Grand Staircase.
  • Urge Secretary Burgum to show respect for the cultural landscapes of the monuments, which are the ancestral homelands of Native American tribes.
  • Urge Secretary Burgum to maintain a central role for tribes in managing their ancestral lands.
  • Urge Secretary Burgum to preserve the wildlife habitat, water resources, sacred places, and cultural and scientific resources that the monuments protect by maintaining the monuments’ current boundaries.
  • Remind Secretary Burgum that over 70% of Utah voters support the monuments and 80% of Arizona voters support Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni.

Please take a few minutes to personalize your message, share your experience of Bears Ears, Grand Staircase-Escalante, or Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni, and explain why protecting these monuments is important to you. Your personal message will help Secretary Burgum understand public concern and your unique perspective.