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15-Person Bears Ears Committee Has 2 Spots for Tribes

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BOB WICK/BLM
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In 2021 President Joe Biden restored the boundaries of Bears Ears National Monument in southern Utah after it was shrunk by the Trump administration by 85% in 2017.

The Bureau of Land Management says a 15-member advisory committee for the downsized Bears Ears National Monument in Utah will include spots for two tribal representatives — three less than a tribal coalition who spent years lobbying for protections of the land wanted.

The federal agency said in a Thursday news release that it will accept nominations until Oct. 1 for spots designated for a host of different sectors who have interest in the management of the 315 square mile-monument in southeastern Utah.

There are openings for local and state government officials, a private landowner, a local business owner, a conservationist, paleontologist, a hunter and outdoor recreationalist, among others.

Pat Gonzales-Rogers, executive director of the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition, says each of the five tribes in the coalition should have a spot on the committee.

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