Modifying the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument – The White House

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

President Clinton established the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah on September 18, 1996, through Proclamation 6920. This move aimed to safeguard significant coal reserves and other resources on the Kaiparowits Plateau, reserving about 1.7 million acres of federal lands under the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

On December 4, 2017, I exercised my authority under the Antiquities Act to issue Proclamation 9682, which adjusted the Monument’s boundaries and removed approximately 860,000 acres. Later, on October 8, 2021, President Biden expanded the Monument to about 1.87 million acres via Proclamation 10286, restoring its previous size before Proclamation 9682.

The Antiquities Act empowers the President to designate national monuments on federal lands to protect historic landmarks, structures, and objects of historic or scientific value. It also mandates that the reserved land should be the smallest area necessary for the preservation of these objects. If a President decides that certain objects no longer merit protection, they can adjust the monument’s boundaries accordingly. This decision process considers factors like the uniqueness of the objects, the required protection, existing legal protections, agency resources, and alternative land uses.

Proclamation 10286 has several issues warranting reevaluation. Firstly, it aimed to protect features not considered historic or scientifically significant, such as generic landscapes and geological features like “vast and austere landscapes,” “sedimentary rock layers,” and “bold plateaus and multihued cliffs.” These features, while scenic, do not qualify as objects of historic or scientific interest under the Antiquities Act.

Secondly, certain features cited in Proclamation 10286, which might be of interest under different circumstances, are common in the region and not unique to the Monument. Many cultural, paleontological, and geological resources found in the Monument are also present throughout the Four Corners region and the American West. Therefore, these common items do not require monument protection.

Thirdly, Proclamation 10286 expanded the Monument’s boundaries unnecessarily, contravening the Antiquities Act’s requirement to reserve only the smallest area necessary for protection. A more tailored approach would have resulted in a much smaller reservation.

Finally, many objects identified in Proclamation 10286 already benefit from protections under various federal laws, such as the Archaeological Resources Protection Act, National Historic Preservation Act, and others. These laws provide substantial protection for archaeological, historic, cultural, and paleontological resources, as well as for plants, animals, and their habitats. The BLM manages over 800,000 acres of the Monument as Wilderness Study Areas, which are already safeguarded by law.

Therefore, the Monument’s current reservation does not align with the Antiquities Act’s guidelines. Proper care and management for these historic and scientific objects can be achieved by reserving a smaller area of approximately 181,541 acres, divided into two units: the Canyons of the Escalante Unit and the Kaiparowits Horizon Unit. This adjustment will ensure the Monument’s boundaries are the smallest necessary for adequate protection and consider the BLM’s resource and funding limitations.

Adjusting the boundaries will better serve public interests. The Grand Staircase-Escalante region has vital resources, including critical minerals such as chromium, cobalt, copper, and others, which are essential for the U.S. economy and national security. Reducing reliance on foreign mineral sources is crucial, and modifying the Monument’s boundaries will support domestic supply.

The 172,641-acre Canyons of the Escalante Unit encompasses the Monument’s core lands. This area, carved by the Escalante River and its tributaries, holds historic and scientific objects worthy of protection, such as the 130-foot Escalante Natural Bridge. It also includes Calf Creek Canyon and other canyons rich with Fremont prehistoric sites, petroglyphs, and the Hundred Hands pictograph panel. Notably, this area has one of the highest concentrations of rock art sites in southwestern Utah, outside of Capitol Reef National Park, with sites spanning from Archaic to Historic periods. Additionally, the area has historical sites related to grazing and ranching, including the Boulder Mail Trail, used for mail transport between Escalante and Boulder starting in 1902.

The 8,900-acre Kaiparowits Horizon Unit is home to a recently discovered bonebed with rare theropod specimens, including one of the most complete tyrannosaurids in the region, well-preserved remains of hadrosaurs, turtles, and crocodilians. This site offers significant insights into ancient ecosystems and biodiversity, making it a globally important paleontological resource. Establishing the Kaiparowits Horizon Unit will allow for continued research and stewardship of this unique resource.

Thus, the areas described and shown on the accompanying map represent the smallest area necessary to care for and manage the identified objects, warranting protection under the Antiquities Act. This modification will preserve the Monument’s cultural, scientific, and historical legacy.

WHEREAS, section 320301 of title 54, United States Code, empowers the President to declare national monuments and reserve land for their protection; and

WHEREAS, the Antiquities Act allows the President to modify monument declarations if certain objects no longer merit protection; and

WHEREAS, many items in Proclamation 10286 do not qualify as national monuments and are already safeguarded by federal laws; and

WHEREAS, the Proclamation 10286 reservation was not the smallest area necessary for protection; and

WHEREAS, current budgetary constraints and the need for domestic resources necessitate boundary adjustments; and

WHEREAS, it is in the public interest to exclude unnecessary lands from the Monument; and

WHEREAS, the revised boundaries represent the smallest area needed for protection;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, by the authority vested in me by section 320301 of title 54, United States Code, proclaim the modification of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument boundaries as described on the attached map. The modified Monument areas will be known as the Canyons and Escalante Unit and the Kaiparowits Horizon Unit, encompassing approximately 181,541 acres. Lands not within these boundaries, as per Proclamations 6920, 9682, or 10286, are excluded from the Monument.

Effective 9:00 a.m. eastern daylight time, 60 days from this proclamation’s date, subject to existing rights and applicable laws, the excluded public lands will be open to:

(1) entry, location, selection, sale, or other disposition under public land laws;

(2) disposition under all mineral and geothermal leasing laws; and

(3) location, entry, and patent under mining laws.

Unauthorized appropriation of lands under mining laws before this date is invalid. Rights cannot be vested against the United States due to attempted appropriation or adverse possession under 30 U.S.C. 38. State law governs acts required for establishing possession rights unless conflicting with federal law.

This proclamation does not revoke, modify, or affect any withdrawal, reservation, or appropriation beyond those set in Proclamations 6920, 9862, and 10286.

Management of areas designated by Proclamations 6920, 9682, and 10286 remains unchanged, except as outlined in the following paragraphs:

For proper care and management, the Secretary of the Interior will maintain a management plan, consulting with Federal land management agencies, including the National Park Service. Public involvement, including consultation with recognized Tribes and local governments, is required. Management planning will consider livestock grazing, public access, recreation, hunting, and educational experiences reflecting the Monument’s diverse features.

This proclamation does not affect existing roads and trails within the Monument. A new transportation plan will maximize public access through designated motorized and non-motorized vehicle trails. Pending the plan’s completion, motorized and non-motorized vehicle use on pre-Proclamation 6920 roads and trails is allowed.

The Secretary will assess proposed activities’ effects, including potential road closures, on historic roads in the Monument, following regulations at 36 C.F.R. part 800.

The Secretary may authorize ecological restoration and vegetation management activities, considering mechanical mastication, grazing, and new technology. To mitigate wildfire risks, mechanical, natural, and chemical tools for noxious weed control may be used, coordinated with Garfield and Kane Counties Weed Boards. Livestock grazing is a primary option for managing noxious weeds and vegetation.

The proclamation does not affect livestock grazing authorizations in the Monument, which remain under existing laws and regulations.

The Secretary will authorize traditional land uses, such as grazing, recreation, timber management, public access, and infrastructure development, consistent with applicable law. Restrictions on proposed uses will be narrowly tailored to comply with legal requirements.

The Secretary will consider livestock grazing lands as a traditional cultural place (TCP) and assess proposed activities’ impacts on the TCP, following 36 C.F.R. part 800 regulations.

If livestock grazing permits or leases are voluntarily relinquished within the Monument, the Secretary will reallocate the forage within one year, issuing new permits or leases as appropriate unless inconsistent with proper care and management.

If any provision of this proclamation, or its application to specific land parcels, is invalidated, the rest remains unaffected. Proclamations 6920, 9682, and 10286 provisions inconsistent with this proclamation are governed by its terms.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-six, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fifty-first.

                             DONALD J. TRUMP