“...For us the Monument never went away. We will always return to these lands to manage and care for our sacred sites, waters and medicines. The Monument represents a historic opportunity for the federal government to learn and incorporate our tribal land management practices.  Practices that we developed over centuries and are needed more now than ever....We battled for this Monument because it matters.”

– Chairman Shaun Chapoose, Ute Indian Tribe Business Committee and BEITC member

Two years ago a quick online search yielded a growing number of development threats that bloomed across this landscape when the recently designated National Monument was rapidly dismantled by the yo-yo U.S. political scene. That search inspired my flash fiction piece published this winter by Fourth River in their online Tributaries, just months after the federal government restored the original boundaries. This blog has covered other co-management successes, such as Indigenous groups in Canada partnering with their national government. The Bears Ears Intertribal Coalition worked diligently during the past years to be ready when the U.S. might be. Their leadership could light new pathways for others across this country.

https://www.thefourthriver.com/tributaries-newnature/2022/2/2/still