President Donald Trump signed executive orders last week reducing Bears Ears National Monument and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument by roughly 90 percent each, despite multiple polls showing most Utah residents favor keeping the existing protections.
Trump announced the changes in the Oval Office, flanked by Utah Republican leaders including Governor Spencer Cox and Representative Celeste Maloy. He cited a need to access critical minerals and restore fairness to local residents. Maloy said the reductions reflected concerns from locals about multiple uses of the federal lands.
Polls conducted in 2024 and 2025 by Utah State University found 61 percent of Utahns supported preserving Bears Ears National Monument, while 53 percent opposed shrinking it. A separate Colorado College survey across eight Mountain West states showed 91 percent of voters wanted existing monuments kept in place. Similar results appeared in a New Bridge Strategies poll of Utah voters.
Hundreds protested the cuts Monday outside the Governor’s Mansion in Salt Lake City. Utah State University professor Michaelann Nelson called the decision contradictory to survey findings, noting politicians appeared to select which residents to heed. The monuments, originally designated by Democratic presidents, now total far fewer acres than before.
