DENVER — The finalized Bears Ears National Monument Resource Management Plan is a model for collaborative land stewardship by the federal government and Indigenous communities for the benefit of wildlife, sacred and cultural sites, hunting, angling, and responsible recreation. The finalized plan – and the process that led to it – embodies the important principles of free, prior, and informed consent.

“This historic plan shows a strong commitment to collaborative management between the five Tribes of the Bears Ears Commission, the U.S. Forest Service, and the Bureau of Land Management. The plan will conserve crucial wildlife habitat, safeguard Indigenous cultural and religious practices, while also permitting hunting and angling, and ensuring responsible outdoor recreation,” said David Willms, associate vice president of public lands at the National Wildlife Federation. “By incorporating both Western science and Indigenous Knowledge, Bears Ears will be conserved and managed to ensure that the lands and the wildlife they support thrive for generations to come.”

“The Bears Ears area has been stewarded by the Navajo Nation, Hopi Tribe, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, Ute Indian Tribe, and Pueblo of Zuni since time immemorial. It is only right and just that the sovereign Tribes were equal partners with the federal government in drafting this land management plan,” said Garrit Voggesser, national director of Tribal partnerships and policy at the National Wildlife Federation. “This kind of collaboration should be a model for future stewardship plans.”