1. United States
2. Mo.
3. Letter

"Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante were not locked away from the public. I know because I have spent weeks every spring hiking and camping there. The canyons, the ruins, the dark skies, the silence — all of it accessible to any American willing to make the drive. What monument designation actually blocked was mining, drilling, and industrial extraction. That is precisely why it was removed. The Bears Ears proclamation says so explicitly — citing copper and uranium deposits beneath the land as justification. Three million acres. Gone from protection in a single signature. Tribal nations who have stewarded this land since before the United States existed were not consulted. Conservation groups, outdoor businesses, and recreationists who depend on this land were not consulted. This is not land management. This is asset stripping of public land under cover of access arguments that are demonstrably false. Restore protections for Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante before extraction begins and makes the damage permanent."