Bears Ears National Monument

Following the Trump administration's decision to open Bears Ears National Monument land in Utah to business activity, prospectors have moved in to stake claims and explore the area. The move follows the 2017 shrinking of the monument, which critics say exposed sacred Native American sites and public lands to mining and commercial exploitation.

Following the Trump administration's opening of Bears Ears National Monument in Utah to commercial activity, prospectors have moved quickly to stake mining claims. Reporting by Grist indicates that claims covering the 1.2 million acres once protected as a monument have been filed by small-scale Utah miners, most of them interested in uranium, raising concerns about the future of the culturally and ecologically sensitive landscape.