President Joe Biden restored protections to three national monuments which were dismantled by the Trump administration: Bears Ears, Grand Staircase-Escalante and Northeast Canyons and Seamounts.
“We are here today on the ancestral homelands of the Anacostan and Piscataway people. Bending the arc of the moral universe toward justice,” Secretary of Interior Deb Haaland said. “Thank you, Mr. President, for the profound action you are taking today to permanently protect the homelands of our ancestors – our songs, our languages and our cultures are strong. And many people from many Indian tribes have sung and spoken in unison to protect this sacred place. Bears Ears is a living landscape. This is a place that must be protected in perpetuity for every American and every child of the world.”
President Biden signed three executive orders to restore the protections. “This may be the easiest thing I’ve ever done as president,” President Biden said in his remarks at the White House.
“It is an honor to share this victorious day at the White House with Tribal leaders and so many other partners who worked for decades to protect these monuments, then fought fearlessly over the last several years to restore them,” said National Parks Conservation Association’s President and CEO Theresa Pierno. “The outpouring of support for Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante is a loud and clear affirmation of the enduring values we share for our protected lands and waters.”
