In response to the Administration’s decision to reduce nearly 3 million acres from Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Escalante National Monuments, Maite Arce, President and CEO of Hispanic Access Foundation, issued the following statement:

“This decision is a serious setback for Tribal sovereignty, Indigenous stewardship, and the future of these irreplaceable American landscapes.

Why it matters: Bears Ears is more than lines on a map. It is a living cultural landscape with deep ancestral, spiritual, and historical significance to the Hopi Tribe, Navajo Nation, Ute Indian Tribe, Ute Mountain Tribe, and Pueblo of Zuni. By reducing the role of the Bears Ears Commission and limiting the voice of these Tribal Nations, the Administration disregards the leadership and deep knowledge that have sustained this land for millennia. This is not merely a boundary adjustment. It undermines Indigenous leadership and long-standing shared stewardship of these lands.

Public lands like these also matter deeply to Latino families and communities across the country. They provide places for health, education, recreation, and connection to our common heritage. When protections are removed and cultural resources, watersheds, and wildlife habitats are placed at risk, opportunity narrows for all of us who care about a strong, shared future on these lands.

By removing protections from nearly 3 million acres, lands outside the new boundaries become open after 60 days to mining claims, mineral and geothermal leasing, and other uses under public lands law. Once these places and the stories, knowledge, and relationships they hold are damaged, they cannot simply be restored. A thriving America rests on the strength of our natural resources and the leadership that cares for them.

Hispanic Access Foundation walks alongside communities as a leadership catalyst. We cultivate leaders, strengthen networks of trust, and help expand access to the systems that shape opportunity. We stand with Tribal Nations and local communities to protect these landscapes. Our public lands are a shared inheritance, and we have a responsibility to safeguard them so current and future generations remain connected to culture, history, and the natural world.

By investing in Latino leaders and walking alongside Indigenous stewards, we advance a thriving nation that lifts all people.”