Pres. Biden undoes Trump on two Native sites

Claire Harbage, Kirk Siegler, All Things Considered, 10/8/21; Xochitl, CC Liu, Wisdom Quarterly

What are these ancient silica tree stump or mesas doing but decaying through the eons?

From Valley of the Gods to an ancient Anasazi site, see the grandeur of Bears Ears

President Biden today (Oct. 8, 2021) restored the boundaries of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Escalante national monuments in Utah.

They were dramatically reduced under ex-president Trump. Pres. Biden also re-imposed fishing restrictions at a third monument off the coast of New England.

Former Pres. Obama created Bears Ears National Monument in 2017 just before he left office, but the Trump administration cut down the size of the protected area by 85%.

Now with Pres. Biden's restoration and a slight increase that includes 11,200 acres, which were added during the Trump-era changes, the monument will be approximately 1.3 million acres.

• Pres. Biden restores protections for Bears Ears monument, four years after Trump downsized it

Native American Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland sworn in by VP Kamala Harris

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Native American tribes (nations) are marking today as a victory in a long-fought battle to protect Bears Ears.

Here is Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, the nation's first indigenous cabinet member, commenting today at the White House.

"Bears Ears is a living landscape," Haaland said. "When I've been there, I've felt the warmth and joy of ancestors who have cared for this special place since time immemorial."

The rugged desert terrain in Southeast Utah is filled with towering red rock formations, significant Native American archeological sites, sprawling fields of sage-colored scrub brush, and of course its namesake, the Bears Ears buttes.

Here are some photos from NPR photographer Claire Harbage, who visited the area on a reporting trip in July 2021: More