In Less Than a Month, Mining Claims Filed in Bears Ears Already Triple the Total Number Filed During Previous Trump Reduction

SAN JUAN COUNTY, UT – From 2018-2021 (during the previous, illegal reduction) there were a total of 20 mining claims filed in the lands cut from Bears Ears National Monument. As of Monday, Sept. 28 (two weeks after the mineral withdrawal was lifted during the second illegal reduction), more than triple that number – 72 claims – have been filed.

Mining claims have been filed by Land Survey Advisors LLC (36), Kimmerle Mining (33), and George W. Schultz (3). A map of all claims can be found here. The claims are in the following areas on both Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service land: Seven Sisters Butte, Fry Canyon, the headwaters of Dark Canyon Wilderness, just north of Natural Bridges National Monument, Lockhart Basin, & near the Easy Peasy Mine (the mine has been re-buried; two of Kimmerle Mining Claims are adjustments to Easy Peasy claims). These lands became subject to mining claims on Friday, September 11 – 60 days after President Trump decimated Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante by shrinking these national monuments by over 90%. Additional information appears below, along with quotes from Tribal leaders and conservation groups.

“With 72 mining claims staked on lands withdrawn from Bears Ears over the last three weeks alone, the threat of a modern-day mineral rush has arrived at one of our nation’s most treasured landscapes,” said Sara Cawley, Energy Director at the National Parks Conservation Association. “The newest claims are located to the north and west of Natural Bridges National Monument, Utah’s first National Park unit and the world’s first International Dark Sky Park, that protects three amazing natural bridge formations and numerous archaeological sites. Even worse, mining companies won’t pay a cent in royalties for the minerals they extract or any fee to clean up the mess they may leave behind.“

“The pace of new mining claims in Bears Ears National Monument is alarming and reinforces the need for vigilance while we work to undo Trump’s illegal actions and restore both Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears National Monuments,” said Hanna Larsen, Staff Attorney at the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA). “These claims are located in some of the region’s most remarkable places, including the headwaters of the Dark Canyon Wilderness and just outside Natural Bridges National Monument. As evidenced by the Easy Peasy Mine, claims like these often lead to real and long-lasting damage to the very qualities that make these monuments so special.”

“The sheer volume of mining claims filed so far in the land cut from Bears Ears National Monument should dispel any lingering illusion about the administration’s true aim,” said Charlie Luke, Utah state director for The Wilderness Society. “The president and the Utah delegation, led by Senator. Lee, would sacrifice irreplaceable cultural resources, wildlife habitat, clean air and water, and our freedom to experience this magnificent place for the short-term profit of a few. We owe future generations a Bears Ears that remains healthy, intact and conserved.”

“The speed with which the mining industry has moved to stake dozens of claims following the dismantling of the Bears Ears National Monument demonstrates the real-world consequences of stripping protections from some of America’s most important landscapes,” said Bobby McEnaney, Senior Lands Analyst at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). “This sequence of events underscores exactly why Bears Ears was originally established and why this landscape deserves lasting protection. These mining claims amount to a virtual giveaway of public lands.”

“In the two weeks since the administration opened 90% of Bears Ears National Monument to mining, at least 72 new mining claims have been filed. New mines would leave devastating scars on one of America’s most important cultural landscapes and destroy a place that Utahns cherish and want protected,” said Chaitna Sinha, Staff Attorney and Conservation Codirector for the Grand Canyon Trust. “That is why, in a recent poll, Utah voters ranked conservation and protecting Native American places as the most important factors to be considered regarding Bears Ears, while oil/gas and mining ranked lowest. Utah’s congressional delegation needs to listen to Utah voters and take action to protect Bears Ears.”