Representatives from six regional Indigenous groups—the Hopi Tribe, the Navajo Nation, the Kaibab Band of Paiute Indians, the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah, the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, and the Zuni Tribe—announced the formation of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Inter-Tribal Coalition.
The coalition joins the Bears Ears National Monument Inter-Tribal Coalition, which also advocates for Indigenous voices to be included in land management decisions.
“We are the living descendants of the ancestors that left their footprints and writings across Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument,” said Autumn Gillard, cultural resources manager with the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah. “In Southern Paiute teachings, we are taught from infancy that we are the stewards of these lands which must be protected and preserved for future generations.”
Monuments have controversial history in Utah public lands
Designated in 1996, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument contains 1.7 million acres of southern Utah public lands, including slot canyons, stone arches, dinosaur fossils, and Indigenous sacred sites.
The monument designation has long been controversial, however, due to issues over land use and federal authority. Utah state politicians have long opposed the designation, saying that local voices were not adequately consulted before the large area was set aside. In 2017, President Donald Trump reduced the size of the monument by almost 50%, before that was reversed under President Joe Biden in 2021.
The coalition’s formation follows a secretarial order by U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, which targets national monuments like Grand Staircase-Escalante for potential oil and gas drilling.
The coalition aims to ensure that Indigenous voices play a pivotal role in the management of southern Utah’s public lands and monuments including Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears National Monument.
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