Virginia Cramer, virginia.cramer@sierraclub.org, 804-519-8449
Carly Ferro, Utah, carly.ferro@sierraclub.org, 801-467-9294 x 100
Moab, UT-- Trump’s Interior Department today released a final management plan for Bears Ears National Monument. The plan leaves most of Bears Ears without protections and comes despite current legal challenges to the Trump administration’s illegal actions to shrink the monument.
The final management plan includes actions that threaten cultural sites-- a primary driver behind the monument’s creation, as well as paleontological resources.
“The fact remains that the Trump administration acted illegally when it stripped the lands of Bears Ears of their monument status. Until the monument boundaries are finalized, this management plan isn’t worth the time it takes to read it. We will continue to work to make sure those lands receive the protections they are rightfully due,” said Ashley Soltysiak, director of the Utah Sierra Club.
“If there was any remaining doubt about the Trump Administration’s motivations for stripping protections from Bear Ears, this plan puts it to rest. The driving force is, and always has been, a desire to drill and mine as much public land as possible, no matter the cost to priceless history, present-day cultural connections, the outdoor economy, or our climate,” said Lena Moffitt, director of the Sierra Club’s Our Wild America campaign.
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.