WASHINGTON, D.C. — Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments are under threat, first from the administration’s illegal attempts to dismantle them and now from the Department of Interior’s plans for managing them.  

The National Wildlife Federation urged the agency today to heed the concerns of the public as they seek public comment in developing management plans for the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments.

The comment period for the management plan for Bears Ears National Monument closed today. The deadline for commenting on the management plan for the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument is November 30.

“A year ago, the administration massively downsized two of our national monuments, and now they are rushing to open them up for development—at a horrible cost to Native Americans, wildlife, Teddy Roosevelt’s conservation legacy, and our shared heritage,” said Tracy Stone Manning, associate vice president for public lands. “Interior should listen to the American people and reverse course, or at the very least wait until the courts determine whether the White House acted illegally when it removed protections for them.”