A new survey shows two-thirds of Utah residents support restoring the size of two recently slashed national monuments in the southern part of the state.
The poll, conducted by the public opinion research firm New Bridge Strategy, asked 500 registered voters statewide about President Donald Trump’s downsizing of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments by about 90% each.
It comes just before a ban on new mining claims expires on Friday, opening the land up to possible resource extraction. Filing a mining claim is the first step to building a new mine. It doesn’t mean a claimant is approved to break ground.
New mining claims were generally banned within the two monument’s previous boundaries, which contain significant deposits of coal and uranium.
The survey was commissioned by the conservation nonprofit Grand Canyon Trust.
At a virtual press conference announcing the new polling, environmental and tribal leaders told reporters that the monuments are home to far more than mineral deposits.
“They are our sacred places, our churches, our medicine cabinets, our grocery stores, and living landscapes where ceremonies, histories, teachings and relationships with land continue today,” said Davina Smith-Idjesa, a member of the Navajo Nation who serves as the tribe’s representative in the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition. “Tribal inclusion and co-management is not symbolic participation. It's about respecting tribal sovereignty.”
The survey also shows that more than 80% of Utahns believe it’s important for tribal nations to have a role in managing public lands containing sacred sites.
Trump initially attempted to shrink the monuments during his first term in 2017. Former President Joe Biden later reversed that decision.
In 2024, New Bridge Strategy conducted a similar survey for the Grand Canyon Trust. It showed support for keeping both monuments at the size Biden determined.
Editor’s Note: Grand Canyon Trust is a financial supporter of KNAU.
