Recreational shooting would be prohibited at Bears Ears National Monument under new proposed plan

The ongoing debate over Bears Ears National Monument in Utah took a significant step forward Thursday with the Bureau of Land Management’s release of a final proposed management plan, but numerous groups including firearm enthusiasts are not pleased.

The BLM and the Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service dropped a proposed management plan and environmental impact statement late Thursday for Bears Ears, which spans 1.36 million acres of public land in southeastern Utah.

Part of the plan includes a complete ban on recreational shooting, with the exception of “the lawful pursuit of game.”

Following the release, the plan will begin a 30-day protest period and a 60-day governor’s consistency review.

While some conservation groups issued statements of support over the proposed plan, the Sportsmen’s Alliance, along with a coalition of other organizations, have said they will challenge the BLM’s decision in federal court, arguing that national monuments are typically open to such activities.

“No surprise here, BLM told everyone many months ago that the agency’s preferred alternative was to ban recreational shooting altogether,” Todd Adkins, senior vice president at the Sportsmen’s Alliance, said in a statement. “The notice and comment process proved meaningless, so we must turn to the courts to keep public land truly public.”

“There are federal statutes that require BLM to have considered a different approach than an outright ban,” Michael Jean, litigation counsel for the Sportsmen’s Alliance, added. “Whether by oversight or with clear intent, we cannot stand by as our members and supporters are thrown off public land in violation of existing law, and we won’t.”

According to the BLM, the proposed plan was developed through collaboration with the Bears Ears Commission, which consists of five tribal nations with ancestral ties to the land, along with cooperators, stakeholders and the public. The goal is to preserve the monument’s cultural and natural resources.

“The proposed plan would ensure that opportunities for recreation, livestock grazing, and other appropriate and compatible uses continue well into the future,” BLM Utah State Director Greg Sheehan said.

The Bears Ears Commission, charged with co-stewardship of the area, includes the Hopi Tribe, Navajo Nation, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation, and the Pueblo of Zuni. The commission provided indigenous knowledge to help shape the proposal.

“Bears Ears is integral to our ceremonies, traditions, and identity as Tribal Peoples,” the Bears Ears Commission said in a statement regarding the plan. “Co-stewarding this sacred landscape with our agency counterparts ensures we can continue passing down our cultures and lifeways.”

The management of Bears Ears has been subject to change over several presidential administrations.

In 2016, President Barack Obama designated the area as a national monument. In 2017, President Donald Trump reduced its size by about 83%. President Joe Biden then restored its original boundaries in 2021.

“Today’s release of the final Bears Ears National Monument Management Plan marks the culmination of years of hard work by the Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service, in collaboration with the Five Tribal Nations that comprise the Bears Ears Commission, as well as significant stakeholder input,” said Judi Brawer, SUWA wildlands attorney. “We expect the final plan to prioritize the long-term protection of this unique cultural landscape.”

SUWA said it will review the plan in detail.

The protest period ends Nov. 4.

Those wishing to file a protest can do so electronically through the BLM National NEPA Register .