Final Bears Ears Plan Is Model for Collaborative, Responsible Stewardship of Public Lands

DENVER - The final Bears Ears National Monument resource management plan offers a new paradigm for sustainable and collaborative stewardship of public lands that benefits wildlife, Indigenous communities, culturally-significant landscapes, hunting, angling, and other responsible recreation.

"This plan was developed after unprecedented collaboration among the five Tribes of the Bears Ears Commission, the U.S. Forest Service, and the Bureau of Land Management and reflects a shared vision about how to sustainably steward Bears Ears to protect significant cultural resources and conserve wildlife habitat while allowing responsible recreation," said Garrit Voggesser, national director of Tribal partnerships and policy at the National Wildlife Federation. "This collaboration recognized the important principles of Free, Prior, and Informed Consent and should be a model for future stewardship plans."