Monday, President Trump signed an executive order gutting Bears Ears National Monument by 85 percent and cutting Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in half. This has been marked as the largest elimination of protected land in U.S. history, second of course to the taking of millions of land from indigenous people over the past centuries. Despite the grief and rage that fills many hearts, the people’s response should also inspire hope that the future of these lands doesn’t rest with Trump, but rather in our creative, committed, clasped hands.
We showed our commitment when over 5,000 people rallied on the steps and lawn of the Utah State Capitol on Saturday with signs that read “Honor Tribes, Honor Bears Ears,” “Keep Your Tiny Hands off Our Public Lands,” and “Shrinking Staircase Would be a Tyrannosaurus Wreck.