On Wed., Dec. 28, 2016, President Barack Obama announced the designation of Bears Ears National Monument, a measure conceived in part by Professor聽Charles Wilkinson. The president鈥檚 designation will protect approximately 1.35 million acres of federal land surrounding the Bears Ears Buttes in southeastern Utah.
Five tribes鈥攖he Hopi, Navajo, Ute Mountain Ute, Uintah and Ouray Ute, and Zuni鈥攆ormally organized the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition in July 2015. Since then, he has served on a聽pro bono聽basis as senior advisor to the tribes. Wilkinson was one of the main architects behind the coalition鈥檚 overall strategy, including the October 2015 proposal to Obama for the creation of Bears Ears National Monument.
鈥淭his is the first national monument ever brought forth by tribes,鈥� Wilkinson said. 鈥淭ribes have signed off, usually as minor signatories on other monument proposals, but this is the first time they鈥檝e taken the lead. The Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition is the most amazing grassroots coalition I鈥檝e ever seen.鈥�
One of the most noteworthy provisions in the presidential proclamation is the unprecedented notion that tribes will engage with federal agencies in collaborative management at Bears Ears.
The five tribes will now have a seat at the table in future decision-making at the new national monument, as the proclamation states that one elected officer from each of the tribes will serve on the Bears Ears Commission 鈥渢o provide guidance and recommendations on the development and implementation of management plans and on management of the聽monument.鈥�
Wilkinson has a long history of working on the Colorado Plateau. He is a member of the Grand Canyon Trust Board of Trustees, author of the book聽Fire on the Plateau, and drafted the presidential proclamation creating the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in 1996.
Read Obama鈥檚聽聽on the designation of Bears Ears National Monument and Gold Butte National Monument.
Professor Wilkinson's lecture 鈥淭he Bears Ears National Monument: 聽A Breakthrough for Tribal-Federal Collaboration Management on Federal Public Lands,鈥� is聽, with overflow in Room 204.
Photo by Tim Peterson.