 For Immediate Release July 13, 2026 For more information contact: Dr. Jacqualine (Jackie) Grant Executive Director Grand Staircase Escalante Partners jackie@gsenm.org 435-269-1237 Grand Staircase Escalante Partners Statement on Presidential Proclamations that Reduce the Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears National Monuments Shrinking the National Monuments opens the door to extraction, contamination, and selling off public lands. Escalante, Utah, July 13, 2026 – Grand Staircase Escalante Partners today opposes two Presidential Proclamations that reduce the size of Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears National Monuments by approximately 90% each. The actions threaten the future of these historically, scientifically, Tribally, and economically important sites and the gateway communities that depend on them. The Proclamations show that all National Monuments and cherished landscapes across the country are at risk. “Grand Staircase Escalante Partners denounces today’s action because it disregards the voices of the American people, and further opens the door to extraction and privatization of public lands. Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is a national treasure that should not be dismembered for profit. Every time a landscape is fragmented, it loses some of its ability to provide clean water, produce breathable air, and support the life that gives America its identity.” – Dr. Jackie Grant Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is one of the most treasured natural landscapes in the country. It is world-renowned for its beauty, significance to Tribes, incredible fossil record, outstanding recreation, awe-inducing solitude, and diversity of life. The Stars and Stripes are beloved by the American people, yet over 80% of Americans will never see the most famous stars of all: the Milky Way. Because of its size and protected boundaries, the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is one of the few places left where the Milky Way can still be seen. The reduction of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument by 90% opens up the surrounding areas to development and light pollution that will negatively impact the protected objects in the Monument. Reducing the boundaries of national monuments should be of concern to every American because these public lands and dark night skies belong to all of us. This action against Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears National Monuments is another attempt to remove public access to public lands and sell them off to the highest bidder. Fragmenting the Monument will deprive the public of the region’s most meaningful experiences and deepest benefits, while also harming the plants and animals that live there. If you are a hunter, angler, stargazer, photographer, camper, scientist, Indigenous person, birdwatcher, or anyone else who benefits from public lands then this action should concern and galvanize you. “These Presidential Proclamations cause harm to Veterans who need public lands to heal, to Tribes who need public lands to connect to sacred lands and non-human relatives, to Scientists who need public lands to learn about what makes American landscapes unique, to Americans who need public lands to learn about themselves and their country, and to Locals who need healthy public lands to make a living for themselves in small, isolated rural communities.” – Dr. Jackie Grant -###- |
