Modifying the Bears Ears National Monument

[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 136 (Friday, July 17, 2026)]

[Presidential Documents]

[Pages 45169-45177]

From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

[FR Doc No: 2026-14548]

Presidential Documents

Federal Register / Vol. 91 , No. 136 / Friday, July 17, 2026 /

Presidential Documents

[[Page 45169]]

Proclamation 11043 of July 13, 2026

Modifying the Bears Ears National Monument

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

On December 28, 2016, President Obama issued

Proclamation 9558, which established the Bears Ears

National Monument (Monument) in the State of Utah;

reserved approximately 1.35 million acres of Federal

land as part of the Monument; and directed that the

Monument be jointly managed by the Department of the

Interior's Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the

Department of Agriculture's United States Forest

Service (USFS).

On December 4, 2017, exercising my authority under

section 320301 of title 54, United States Code (the

``Antiquities Act''), I issued Proclamation 9681 to

modify the boundaries of the Monument in accordance

with the requirements of that Act, as well as to ensure

the Monument's proper management. Proclamation 9681

excluded approximately 1.15 million acres from the

Monument, and also reserved approximately 11,200 acres

as part of the Monument that were not originally

reserved by Proclamation 9558

dance

with the requirements of that Act, as well as to ensure

the Monument's proper management. Proclamation 9681

excluded approximately 1.15 million acres from the

Monument, and also reserved approximately 11,200 acres

as part of the Monument that were not originally

reserved by Proclamation 9558. On October 8, 2021,

President Biden issued Proclamation 10285 to modify the

boundaries of the Monument to include all lands

previously excluded, expanding the Monument to

encompass approximately 1.36 million acres.

The Antiquities Act authorizes the President to declare

historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric

structures, and other objects of historic or scientific

interest that are situated on land owned or controlled

by the Federal Government to be national monuments. The

Antiquities Act further requires that any parcel of

land reserved as part of a monument be confined to the

smallest area compatible with the proper care and

management of the objects to be protected. Where the

President determines that the structures and objects

identified by a prior monument proclamation no longer

are, or never were, deserving of the Antiquities Act's

protections, the Antiquities Act permits the President

to remove land from the monument and return it to its

prior federally managed status

President determines that the structures and objects

identified by a prior monument proclamation no longer

are, or never were, deserving of the Antiquities Act's

protections, the Antiquities Act permits the President

to remove land from the monument and return it to its

prior federally managed status. Determining the

appropriate protective area involves examining several

factors, including the uniqueness and nature of the

objects to be protected, the nature of the protection

needed, the protection provided those objects by other

laws, executive department and agency resources

available to manage the parcel, and whether the lands

are better suited for other non-monument uses.

Given these considerations, the monument designation

made in Proclamation 10285 suffers from several flaws

under Antiquities Act analysis that require the action

taken by this proclamation. First, Proclamation 10285's

designation rests on the purported need to protect

items that are not historic landmarks, historic or

prehistoric structures, or other objects of historic or

scientific interest. For example, Proclamation 10285

protects various generic features and landscapes found

within the Bears Ears region, such as ``deep sandstone

canyons, broad desert mesas, towering monoliths,

forested mountaintops dotted with lush meadows'' and

``low bluffs and high mesas.'' While scenic, these

generic features are not ``landmarks,'' ``structures,''

or ``objects of historical or scientific interest''

worthy of protection under the Antiquities Act.

canyons, broad desert mesas, towering monoliths,

forested mountaintops dotted with lush meadows'' and

``low bluffs and high mesas.'' While scenic, these

generic features are not ``landmarks,'' ``structures,''

or ``objects of historical or scientific interest''

worthy of protection under the Antiquities Act.

Second, certain landmarks, structures, or objects

identified in Proclamation 10285 that could have the

necessary historic or scientific interest in other

contexts are prevalent throughout the Four Corners

region and, in some

[[Page 45170]]

cases, throughout the American West. The relative

commonness of these cultural resources within the

broader area suggests that the specific instances of

such objects found within the Monument are not of

particular historic or scientific interest. For

instance, lithic scatters, projectile points,

prehistoric campsites, petroglyphs, and pictographs are

found across the American West and are not unique to

the Bears Ears region. Accordingly, a monument

reservation was neither necessary nor appropriate to

protect these items.

ientific interest. For

instance, lithic scatters, projectile points,

prehistoric campsites, petroglyphs, and pictographs are

found across the American West and are not unique to

the Bears Ears region. Accordingly, a monument

reservation was neither necessary nor appropriate to

protect these items.

Third, because Proclamation 10285 reserved lands that

were intended to protect several landmarks, structures,

or objects that lack the necessary historic or

scientific interest, it also disregards the Antiquities

Act's requirement that the reservation of Federal lands

for a national monument be confined to the ``smallest

area compatible with the proper care and management of

the objects to be protected.'' If the parcel had been

properly tailored to protect only those objects

identified in Proclamation 10285 that do warrant

protection under the Antiquities Act, it would have

been much smaller.

Finally, a monument designation and reservation of land

were unnecessary to protect many of the objects of

historic and scientific interest identified by

Proclamation 10285, which are already subject to

enhanced protections under Federal laws enacted after

the Antiquities Act that preserve archaeological,

historic, cultural and paleontological resources, as

well as plants and animals and their respective

habitats. These laws, including the Archaeological

Resources Protection Act of 1979 (16 U.S.C. 470aa-

470mm), National Historic Preservation Act (54 U.S.C

the Antiquities Act that preserve archaeological,

historic, cultural and paleontological resources, as

well as plants and animals and their respective

habitats. These laws, including the Archaeological

Resources Protection Act of 1979 (16 U.S.C. 470aa-

470mm), National Historic Preservation Act (54 U.S.C.

300101 et seq.), Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act

(16 U.S.C. 668-668d), Endangered Species Act of 1973

(16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), Federal Cave Resources

Protection Act of 1988 (16 U.S.C. 4301 et seq.),

Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43

U.S.C. 1701 et seq.), National Forest Management Act

(16 U.S.C. 1600 et seq.), Migratory Bird Treaty Act (16

U.S.C. 703-712), Native American Graves Protection and

Repatriation Act of 1976 (25 U.S.C. 3001 et seq.), and

Paleontological Resources Preservation Act (16 U.S.C.

470aaa-470aaa-11), authorize the BLM or the USFS to

limit and condition activities on Federal lands for the

protection of certain natural or cultural resources,

whether they are within or outside a national monument.

For instance, more than 500,000 acres of the Monument

were already being managed to maintain, enhance, or

protect their roadless character before they were

designated as part of a national monument.

Specifically, the BLM manages approximately 380,759

acres of lands within the existing monument as

Wilderness Study Areas, which the BLM is required by

law to manage so as not to impair their suitability for

future congressional designation as Wilderness

designated as part of a national monument.

Specifically, the BLM manages approximately 380,759

acres of lands within the existing monument as

Wilderness Study Areas, which the BLM is required by

law to manage so as not to impair their suitability for

future congressional designation as Wilderness. On

lands managed by the USFS, 46,348 acres are part of the

congressionally designated Dark Canyon Wilderness Area,

which, under the 1964 Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131-

1136), and the Utah Wilderness Act of 1984 (Public Law

98-428), the USFS must manage so as to maintain or

enhance its wilderness character. As a result, many of

the objects previously designated as monuments by

Proclamation 10285 are already adequately protected by

Federal law and do not require a reservation of land

under the Antiquities Act for protection.

In light of these flaws, I have determined, in my

discretion, that the parcel of land reserved by

Proclamation 10285 is not confined to the smallest area

compatible with the proper care and management of the

objects of scientific or historic interest identified

therein. Instead, proper care and management can be

provided to those objects by a smaller reservation of

approximately 121,096 acres comprising two units: the

Shash J[aacute]a Unit and the Indian Creek Unit.

Revising the boundaries of the Monument in this way

will ensure that, in accordance with the Antiquities

Act, the reservation is the smallest area compatible

with the proper care and management of the objects to

be protected

omprising two units: the

Shash J[aacute]a Unit and the Indian Creek Unit.

Revising the boundaries of the Monument in this way

will ensure that, in accordance with the Antiquities

Act, the reservation is the smallest area compatible

with the proper care and management of the objects to

be protected. Revising the Monument's boundaries to

encompass approximately 121,096 acres will also account

for practical limitations on the BLM's and the USFS's

land management resources and funding,

[[Page 45171]]

ensuring that these remain adequate to provide proper

care and management for the protected objects now and

in the future.

Revising the boundaries of the Monument will also

unburden public National Forest System lands that can

and should be put to a higher-priority use. The Bears

Ears region contains several resources that are vital

to energy and resource independence and, in turn,

critical to national security. These resources--which

include critical minerals such as silver, copper,

molybdenum, lead, uranium, vanadium, and zinc--create

jobs, fuel prosperity, and are essential to important

sectors of the economy of the United States, including

defense, manufacturing, and transportation. It is

imperative that the United States not rely on foreign

sources for these resources. Modifying the Monument's

boundaries will help ensure that adequate domestic

supplies exist, thereby reducing the threat posed by

our Nation's reliance on foreign sources.

defense, manufacturing, and transportation. It is

imperative that the United States not rely on foreign

sources for these resources. Modifying the Monument's

boundaries will help ensure that adequate domestic

supplies exist, thereby reducing the threat posed by

our Nation's reliance on foreign sources.

The approximately 106,816-acre Shash J[aacute]a Unit is

the heart of the Monument. These lands encompass a

collection of objects of historic and scientific

interest that represent the Bears Ears region's natural

and cultural heritage. For example, the Shash

J[aacute]a Unit contains notable geologic features,

including the iconic twin buttes known as the Bears

Ears, which are considered sacred by the Native

American tribes that call this area their ancestral

home and which were a prominent landmark for both

ancient peoples and the more recent inhabitants of the

region. The Shash J[aacute]a Unit also holds Arch

Canyon, Mule Canyon, and Comb Ridge--a north-south

trending monocline that resembles a rooster's comb.

The Shash J[aacute]a Unit contains an abundance of

cultural and archaeological objects spanning thousands

of years of human history, such as dispersed villages,

pit houses, kivas, storage pits, storage rooms,

pottery, lithic scatters, campsites, rock shelters,

pictographs, and baskets, as well as manos and metates

for grinding corn

an abundance of

cultural and archaeological objects spanning thousands

of years of human history, such as dispersed villages,

pit houses, kivas, storage pits, storage rooms,

pottery, lithic scatters, campsites, rock shelters,

pictographs, and baskets, as well as manos and metates

for grinding corn. These objects also include large

villages from the Pueblo I period, cliff dwellings from

the Pueblo III period, and expansive and complex multi-

family dwellings from the Pueblo II period near Comb

Wash; the Arch Canyon ruin, which contains pictographs

and petroglyphs ranging from the Archaic to the

historic period; shelter-cliff dwellings from the

Pueblo II and III periods in the north and south forks

of Mule Canyon, as well as other archaeological sites

there, including the House on Fire Ruin; alcoves near

Whiskers Draw containing evidence of human habitation

from the Basketmaker period; portions of the Butler

Wash Archeological District, an Ancestral Puebloan ruin

with multiple rooms and kivas that is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places; the Butler Wash

Kachina Panel, a wall-sized mural of San Juan

Anthropomorph figures; and Milk Ranch Point, which is

home to a rich concentration of kivas, granaries, and

dwellings.

an Ancestral Puebloan ruin

with multiple rooms and kivas that is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places; the Butler Wash

Kachina Panel, a wall-sized mural of San Juan

Anthropomorph figures; and Milk Ranch Point, which is

home to a rich concentration of kivas, granaries, and

dwellings.

The Shash J[aacute]a Unit also contains important

paleontological objects, including Triassic vertebrate

trace fossils near Comb Ridge. Additionally, the Shash

J[aacute]a Unit contains several historic sites that

shed light on the Bears Ears region's more modern

cultural heritage. For example, the unit contains

objects related to the cowboys, trappers, and explorers

that moved into the region in the mid-1800s, as well as

objects related to settlers from the Church of Jesus

Christ of Latter-day Saints (Latter Day Saints). This

last group of objects includes prominent features of

the Hole-in-the-Rock Road, such as Salvation Knoll, and

San Juan Hill, which served as navigation points for

Latter Day Saints traveling into southeastern Utah.

Finally, the Shash J[aacute]a Unit described on the

accompanying map includes five non-contiguous parcels

of land encompassing significant historic and

prehistoric structures and objects of historic and

scientific interest, including:

1) a 157-acre parcel reserved for Doll House Ruin,

a fully-intact and well-preserved single-room granary,

as well as for other prehistoric structures and objects

in a tributary of Woodenshoe Canyon;

[[Page 45172]]

prehistoric structures and objects of historic and

scientific interest, including:

1) a 157-acre parcel reserved for Doll House Ruin,

a fully-intact and well-preserved single-room granary,

as well as for other prehistoric structures and objects

in a tributary of Woodenshoe Canyon;

[[Page 45172]]

2) a 314-acre parcel reserved for Scorup Cabin, a

line cabin originally built in Rig Canyon and later

moved to its current location, used by early cowboys as

a summer camp while tending cattle in the area;

3) a 693-acre parcel reserved for the Rig Canyon

Mining Exploration Site, which supported a vertical oil

well, drilled in 1926, in a wildcat oil field;

4) a 318-acre parcel reserved for the Moon House

complex, an example of Pueblo-decorated architecture

that is listed on the National Register of Historic

Places, and is likely the last human occupied site on

Cedar Mesa; and

5) an 88-acre parcel reserved for the Citadel, an

Ancestral Puebloan site featuring several masonry rooms

and a series of deteriorating features on Cedar Mesa.

The approximately 14,279-acre Indian Creek Unit also

contains objects of historic and scientific interest

that are representative of the region's natural and

cultural heritage, such as dinosaur tracks and

distinctive and well-preserved petroglyphs in Shay

Canyon; Newspaper Rock, a roadside rock art panel that

has been listed on the National Register of Historic

Places since 1976; and notable paleontological

resources, including abundant fossilized flora and

fauna

ritage, such as dinosaur tracks and

distinctive and well-preserved petroglyphs in Shay

Canyon; Newspaper Rock, a roadside rock art panel that

has been listed on the National Register of Historic

Places since 1976; and notable paleontological

resources, including abundant fossilized flora and

fauna.

Accordingly, the area described above and on the

accompanying map is the smallest compatible with the

proper care and management of the objects of historic

and scientific interest identified above, which I have

determined in my discretion warrant protection under

the Antiquities Act. This modification of the Monument

will maintain and protect those objects and preserve

the area's cultural, scientific, and historic legacy.

WHEREAS, section 320301 of title 54, United States Code

authorizes the President, in the President's

discretion, to declare by public proclamation historic

landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, and

other objects of historic or scientific interest that

are situated upon the lands owned or controlled by the

Federal Government to be national monuments, and to

reserve as a part thereof parcels of land; and

WHEREAS, the Antiquities Act also permits the

President, in the President's discretion, to alter a

prior declaration of a national monument by finding

that objects identified in the prior declaration either

are no longer deserving of the Antiquities Act's

protections, or never were; and

land; and

WHEREAS, the Antiquities Act also permits the

President, in the President's discretion, to alter a

prior declaration of a national monument by finding

that objects identified in the prior declaration either

are no longer deserving of the Antiquities Act's

protections, or never were; and

WHEREAS, many of the resources and objects identified

by Proclamation 10285 are not historic landmarks,

historic structures, or other objects of historic or

scientific interest and, therefore, should not have

been declared to be national monuments under the

Antiquities Act; and

WHEREAS, many of the resources and objects designated

as monuments by Proclamation 10285 do not require a

reservation of land to protect them because they are

not unique to those areas, were not under threat of

damage or destruction before designation, or are

sufficiently protected by Federal law; and

WHEREAS, the reservation of land established by

Proclamation 10285 is not ``the smallest area

compatible with the proper care and management of the

objects to be protected''; and

WHEREAS, given the budgetary and resource constraints

of the BLM and the USFS, which have only intensified

since 2017, the boundaries established by Proclamations

9681 and 10285 encompass lands too vast to ensure the

proper care and management of all of the protected

objects located therein; and

d

WHEREAS, given the budgetary and resource constraints

of the BLM and the USFS, which have only intensified

since 2017, the boundaries established by Proclamations

9681 and 10285 encompass lands too vast to ensure the

proper care and management of all of the protected

objects located therein; and

WHEREAS, the need to reduce our Nation's reliance on

foreign sources of several resources vital to our

economic and national security, including resources

located within the historic and current boundaries of

the Monument, is also greater than it was in 2017,

thereby further necessitating

[[Page 45173]]

the exclusion of lands that were retained within the

Monument by Proclamation 9681; and

WHEREAS, it is in the public interest to modify the

boundaries of the Monument to exclude from its

reservation approximately 1,238,904 acres of land that

I find unnecessary for or disadvantageous to the proper

care and management of objects to be protected within

the Monument; and

WHEREAS, I find that the boundaries of the Monument as

described above and on the accompanying map represent

the smallest area compatible with the proper care and

management of the objects of historic and scientific

interest identified above.

ent of objects to be protected within

the Monument; and

WHEREAS, I find that the boundaries of the Monument as

described above and on the accompanying map represent

the smallest area compatible with the proper care and

management of the objects of historic and scientific

interest identified above.

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 that the boundaries of the Bears Ears National

Monument are hereby modified to include those lands

owned or controlled by the Federal Government within

the boundaries described on the accompanying map, which

is attached to and forms a part of this proclamation. I

hereby further proclaim that the modified Monument

areas identified on the accompanying map shall be known

as the Indian Creek Unit and Shash J[aacute]a Unit, the

latter of which shall include the Moon House complex,

the Citadel, Doll House Ruins, Scorup Cabin, and the

Rig Canyon Exploration site. These reserved Federal

lands cumulatively encompass approximately 121,096

acres. The boundaries described on the accompanying map

are confined to the smallest area compatible with the

proper care and management of the objects to be

protected. Any lands reserved by Proclamations 9558,

9681, or 10285 not within the boundaries identified on

the accompanying map are hereby excluded from the

Monument.

ibed on the accompanying map

are confined to the smallest area compatible with the

proper care and management of the objects to be

protected. Any lands reserved by Proclamations 9558,

9681, or 10285 not within the boundaries identified on

the accompanying map are hereby excluded from the

Monument.

At 9:00 a.m., eastern daylight time, on the date that

is 60 days after the date of this proclamation, subject

to valid existing rights, the provisions of existing

withdrawals, and the requirements of applicable law,

the public and National Forest System lands excluded

from the Monument reservation shall be open to:

(1) entry, location, selection, sale, or other

disposition under the public land laws and laws

applicable to the USFS;

(2) disposition under all laws relating to mineral

and geothermal leasing; and

(3) location, entry, and patent under the mining

laws.

Appropriation of lands under the mining laws before the

date and time of restoration is unauthorized. Any such

attempted appropriation, including attempted adverse

possession under 30 U.S.C. 38, shall vest no rights

against the United States. Acts required to establish a

location and to initiate a right of possession are

governed by State law where not in conflict with

Federal law.

s unauthorized. Any such

attempted appropriation, including attempted adverse

possession under 30 U.S.C. 38, shall vest no rights

against the United States. Acts required to establish a

location and to initiate a right of possession are

governed by State law where not in conflict with

Federal law.

Nothing in this proclamation shall be construed to

remove any lands from the Manti-La Sal National Forest

or to otherwise revoke, modify, or affect any

withdrawal, reservation, or appropriation, other than

those set forth in Proclamations 9558, 9681, and 10285.

Nothing in this proclamation shall change the

management of the areas designated and reserved by

Proclamations 9558, 9681, and 10285 that remain part of

the Monument in accordance with the terms of this

proclamation, except as provided by the following

eleven paragraphs:

For purposes of providing for the proper care and

management of the objects identified above, and to

facilitate multiple uses of the Monument that are

consistent with the proper care and management of those

objects, the Secretary of the Interior and the

Secretary of Agriculture (the Secretaries) shall

jointly maintain a management plan for the Monument and

shall promulgate such regulations for its management,

consistent with applicable law, as they deem

appropriate. The Secretaries, through the BLM and the

USFS,

[[Page 45174]]

e Interior and the

Secretary of Agriculture (the Secretaries) shall

jointly maintain a management plan for the Monument and

shall promulgate such regulations for its management,

consistent with applicable law, as they deem

appropriate. The Secretaries, through the BLM and the

USFS,

[[Page 45174]]

shall consult with other Federal land management

agencies or agency components in the local area,

including the National Park Service, when developing

any management plan. In promulgating any management

rules and regulations governing the National Forest

System lands within the Monument and developing any

management plan, the Secretary of Agriculture, through

the USFS, shall consult with the Secretary of the

Interior, through the BLM. The Secretaries shall

provide for public involvement in the development of

any management plan, including consultation with

federally recognized Tribes and State and local

governments. In developing and implementing any

management plan, the Secretaries shall provide

opportunities, pursuant to applicable legal

authorities, for resource sharing, operational

efficiency, and cooperation with other Federal land

management agencies, State and local governments, and

federally recognized Tribes

oping and implementing any

management plan, the Secretaries shall provide

opportunities, pursuant to applicable legal

authorities, for resource sharing, operational

efficiency, and cooperation with other Federal land

management agencies, State and local governments, and

federally recognized Tribes. When developing any

management plan for lands within the Monument, the

Secretaries shall take into account, to the maximum

extent consistent with the proper care and management

of the objects identified above, the importance of (1)

providing appropriate access for and otherwise

facilitating livestock grazing; (2) maintaining and

improving public access to the Monument, including for

recreation and hunting; and (3) providing educational

experiences that reflect the diversity of the

Monument's natural and anthropogenic features and their

use throughout the history of the Bears Ears region.

Proclamations 9558 and 10285 established the Bears Ears

Commission (BEC) to provide guidance and

recommendations on the development and implementation

of management plans and on management of the Monument.

The BEC is hereby disbanded and terminated, and the

Secretaries shall have no obligation to engage,

consult, or coordinate with the BEC or a comparable

entity as provided in, or derived from, either

Proclamation 9558 or 10285, though the Secretaries

shall continue to consult with Tribal Nations in

accordance with other applicable authorities.

d the

Secretaries shall have no obligation to engage,

consult, or coordinate with the BEC or a comparable

entity as provided in, or derived from, either

Proclamation 9558 or 10285, though the Secretaries

shall continue to consult with Tribal Nations in

accordance with other applicable authorities.

Proclamation 9558 established an advisory committee

under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C.

App.) to provide information and advice regarding the

development of management plans for the Monument and,

as appropriate, management of the Monument.

Proclamation 9558 is hereby revised to clarify that the

Monument advisory committee shall consist of a balanced

representation of interested stakeholders that

specifically includes one member each from the Hopi

Nation, the Navajo Nation, the Ute Indian Tribe of the

Uintah and Ouray Reservation, the Ute Mountain Ute

Tribe, and the Pueblo of Zuni; one member each from San

Juan County, Monticello City, Blanding City, and the

Town of Bluff; and six members recommended by the

Governor of Utah. Of those six members recommended by

the Governor of Utah, each shall belong to one of the

following stakeholder groups: archaeological or

historical experts; livestock grazing permittees;

outdoor recreation participants, including commercial

recreation providers or off-highway vehicle users;

conservationists; private landowners; and local

business owners.

ach shall belong to one of the

following stakeholder groups: archaeological or

historical experts; livestock grazing permittees;

outdoor recreation participants, including commercial

recreation providers or off-highway vehicle users;

conservationists; private landowners; and local

business owners.

Nothing in this proclamation affects the designation,

maintenance, and improvement of existing roads and

trails within the Monument, which shall continue to be

governed by laws and regulations other than this

proclamation. The Secretaries shall prepare a new

transportation plan that endeavors to maximize public

access to the Monument by designating roads and trails

on which motorized and non-motorized vehicle use will

be allowed, as well as providing for appropriate

maintenance of those roads and trails. Pending

completion of that transportation plan, the Secretaries

may allow motorized and non-motorized vehicle use on

roads and trails designated for such use immediately

before the issuance of Proclamation 9558 and may

maintain roads and trails for such use. The Secretaries

may also designate for motorized vehicle use roads and

trails that were not designated for such use prior to

the issuance of Proclamation 9558, regardless of the

purpose of that use.

[[Page 45175]]

The Secretaries shall consider the effects of proposed

activities, including potential road closures, on

historic roads in the Monument, in accordance with the

regulations at 36 CFR Part 800, as appropriate.

the issuance of Proclamation 9558, regardless of the

purpose of that use.

[[Page 45175]]

The Secretaries shall consider the effects of proposed

activities, including potential road closures, on

historic roads in the Monument, in accordance with the

regulations at 36 CFR Part 800, as appropriate.

Consistent with the proper care and management of the

objects identified above, the Secretaries may authorize

ecological restoration and active vegetation management

activities in the Monument. When engaging in management

planning for the Monument, the Secretaries shall

consider the full range of vegetation management tools,

including mechanical mastication, grazing, and new

vegetation management technology that becomes available

in the future. Additionally, because noxious weeds and

invasive plant species increase wildfire risks, the

Secretaries may authorize the use of mechanical,

natural, and chemical tools for controlling the

proliferation of noxious weeds and invasive plant

species, and should coordinate with the San Juan County

Weed Board, as appropriate, in developing and

implementing treatment plans. Livestock grazing should

be utilized as a primary option for mitigating noxious

weeds as well as managing fuels and vegetation.

proliferation of noxious weeds and invasive plant

species, and should coordinate with the San Juan County

Weed Board, as appropriate, in developing and

implementing treatment plans. Livestock grazing should

be utilized as a primary option for mitigating noxious

weeds as well as managing fuels and vegetation.

In recognition of the enduring tradition of livestock

grazing in the Monument and its historical and cultural

significance to local communities, nothing in this

proclamation shall be deemed to affect authorizations

for livestock grazing, or administration thereof, on

Federal lands within the Monument. Livestock grazing

within the Monument shall continue to be governed by

laws and regulations other than this proclamation.

The Secretaries shall endeavor to authorize traditional

land uses within the Monument, such as grazing,

recreation, timber management, public access, and

infrastructure development, to the greatest extent

possible, consistent with applicable law. Where

restrictions on proposed uses are necessary to comply

with applicable laws, such restrictions shall be

narrowly tailored.

The Secretaries shall consider livestock grazing lands

in the Monument to constitute a traditional cultural

place (TCP) and shall consider how proposed activities

will impact that TCP in accordance with the regulations

at 36 CFR Part 800, as appropriate.

ch restrictions shall be

narrowly tailored.

The Secretaries shall consider livestock grazing lands

in the Monument to constitute a traditional cultural

place (TCP) and shall consider how proposed activities

will impact that TCP in accordance with the regulations

at 36 CFR Part 800, as appropriate.

If any livestock grazing permits or leases are

voluntarily relinquished by existing holders, the

Secretaries shall, within 1 year, re-allocate the

relinquished forage, including by issuing a new permit

or lease for the relevant allotment, as appropriate,

unless the Secretaries specifically find that such

reallocation is inconsistent with the proper care and

management of the objects identified above.

If any provision of this proclamation, including its

application to a particular parcel of land, is held to

be invalid, the remainder of this proclamation shall

not be affected thereby. Furthermore, to the extent

that any provision of Proclamations 9558, 9681, or

10285 is inconsistent with or contradicts this

proclamation, the terms of this proclamation shall

govern.

[[Page 45176]]

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.

(Presidential Sig.)

Billing code 3395-F4-P

[[Page 45177]]

[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TD17JY26.100

[FR Doc. 2026-14548

Filed 7-16-26; 11:15 am]

Billing code 4310-10-C