DENVER – More than 16,000 members and supporters of the National Wildlife Federation urged the Bureau of Land Management to proceed with its proposed plan to collaboratively steward Bears Ears National Monument to safeguard wildlife, protect cultural resources, and better manage outdoor recreation. The plan was the result of a two-year collaboration among the five Tribes of the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition and upholds Tribal sovereignty, incorporates Traditional Ecological Knowledge, and responsibly manages the monument for hunting, fishing, and other outdoor recreation while ensuring the continued health of the ecosystem. 

“This resource management plan is the result of a true collaboration between the five Tribes of the Bears Ears Commission, the Bureau of Land Management, and the U.S. Forest Service and serves as  a model for other monument management plans,” said David Willms, associate vice president of public lands at the National Wildlife Federation. “It’s clear that our members agree: collaboration with the Indigenous communities that have stewarded these lands for millennia is the best way to safeguard important cultural sites, ensure abundant wildlife, and manage recreation so that these lands and waters thrive for generations to come.”

The 90-day public comment period for the Bears Ears National Monument Resource Management Plan ended June 11.