Lands removed from Bears Ears National Monument will become available for new mining claims beginning Friday, September 11th, according to President Trump's recent proclamation that reduced the monument's boundaries.
The Bureau of Land Management says the boundary change will produce few other immediate changes for people using the lands.
"Not a lot of changes actually on the landscape immediately," BLM Monticello Field Office Manager Jake Palma told the San Juan County Commission at an August meeting.
Palma also explained that the agency expects to spend approximately a year and a half developing a new management plan for the remaining monument and lands removed from it.
In a written response to KSJD, a BLM spokesperson said the agency will continue managing recreation, grazing, mineral rights and cultural resources under its existing 2025 management plan during the planning process.
Beginning on September 11, lands recently excluded from the monument boundary will be open to mineral entry, subject to existing rights, existing withdrawals and other federal requirements.
Opening the lands to mineral entry will not automatically authorize mining. It allows individuals and companies to establish claims for certain minerals. Exploration or development may require additional review, permits and approval from federal agencies.
"If we receive mineral-related proposals at that time, we'll evaluate them carefully and transparently, consistent with federal regulations," the BLM spokesperson said.
President Donald Trump reduced Bears Ears National Monument by about 90%, from approximately 1.36 million acres to about 121,100 acres, through a proclamation signed on July 13th. The proclamation cited the potential availability of uranium, vanadium, copper and other minerals among its reasons for removing federal protections from the lands.
The proclamation further terminated the Bears Ears Commission, which included elected representatives of the Hopi Tribe, Navajo Nation, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation and the Pueblo of Zuni.
The Commission previously made recommendations regarding monument planning and management. Although their recommendations were non-binding, federal agencies were required under the law to consider them and explain in writing when they declined to adopt them.
The BLM says it will now conduct formal government-to-government consultation with the individual five Tribal nations, including letting their governments know about planning steps and offering opportunities for coordination.
"Unlike the collaborative role the Commission played, consultation is a direct and ongoing process that continues regardless of monument status," the agency spokesperson said.
The reduction is also facing legal challenges. On September 2, conservation organizations asked a federal court to reopen litigation originally filed following Trump's 2017 monument reduction to allow them to challenge the new proclamation.
The organizations, including the Natural Resource Defense Council, Grand Canyon Trust, and more, argue that the Antiquities Act permits presidents to establish national monuments but does not give them authority to reduce or eliminate monuments created by previous presidents. That litigation remains pending.
BLM has not announced a firm completion date or schedule for public participation in the replacement management plan.
