The Bears Ears National Monument located in southeastern Utah opened up 1.2 million acres for 72 mining claims, triple the claims from before the reduction. The claims became available on Sept. 11, 2026, about three months after President Donald Trump shrunk the monument by about 90%.
“Hobby miners who want to go locate claims, play miner on the weekend, leave disturbance and pollution in their wake,” said Steve Bloch, the attorney for the environmental nonprofit Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance. “That really damages the monument resources.”
Groups such as SUWA and the Natural Resources Defense Council are advocating for the reversal of the act and the retrieval of these lands. The NRDC claims that the establishment of Bears Ears was to preserve the landscape and have lasting protection.
These mining claims entail mining in the six locations of Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service land, including Fry Canyon, Lockhart Basin, Seven Sisters Butte, the re-opening of Kimmerle’s re-buried mine, and others.
The mining companies consist of three different groups, which are: Land Survey Advisors LLC, Kimmerle Mining, and George W. Schultz. Land Survey Advisors are responsible for 36 of the claims, Kimmerle is responsible for 33, and Schultz has 3. These groups consist of local small-scale miners who have other sources of income.
President Donald Trump shrank the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments by more than 90%. This decision opened portions of the land for mining claims and potential oil extraction.
Author: Talmage Fairbanks
Photo: Courtesy of the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance
Editor: Lainey Porter
outdoors@suunews.net
