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8 LONG TITLE
9 General Description:
10 This concurrent resolution encourages state acquisition of the Bears Ears National
11 Monument.
12 Highlighted Provisions:
13 This resolution:
14 ▸ encourages the state of Utah to seek acquisition of the Bears Ears National
15 Monument through the Recreation and Public Purposes Act; and
16 ▸ supports a governance and management plan that includes southwestern Native
17 American tribes.
18 Special Clauses:
19 None
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21 Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah, the Governor concurring therein:
22 WHEREAS, Bears Ears are twin buttes in southeastern Utah of San Juan County, that
23 rise 8,700 feet above sea level and resemble the ears of a bear emerging from the horizon;
24 WHEREAS, the human history in the Bears Ears area dates as far back as 8,500 years,
25 and the area offers cultural, scientific, and historic importance for several southwestern tribes;
26 WHEREAS, famed Navajo headman K'aayélii was born around 1800 near the Bears
27 Ears twin buttes, as well as renowned 19th century Navajo leader, "Hastiin Ch'ihaajin"
28 Manuelito;
29 WHEREAS, the Bears Ears region is profoundly sacred to several Native American
30 tribes, including the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, Navajo Nation, Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah
31 Ouray, Hopi Nation, and Zuni Tribe;
32 WHEREAS, on December 28, 2016, President Obama designated the Bears Ears twin
33 buttes and surrounding area as a national monument;
34 WHEREAS, Sec. 212, Recreation and Public Purposes Act, of the Federal Land Policy
35 and Management Act of 1976, authorizes the sale or lease of public lands for recreational or
36 public purposes to state and local governments and to qualified nonprofit organizations;
37 WHEREAS, the state of Utah is willing and able to apply under Sec. 212, Recreation
38 and Public Purposes Act, to purchase or lease the public land that is occupied by the
39 recently-created Bears Ears National Monument;
40 WHEREAS, the state of Utah, upon securing the public land in the Bears Ears National
41 Monument area, would work cooperatively with local elected officials, the local Navajo Nation
42 chapter and other southwestern tribes, to structure a governance and management coalition plan
43 that provides local and state stewardship over the Bears Ears area; and
44 WHEREAS, this resolution does not supersede the intentions of H.C.R 11, Urging the
45 President to Rescind the Bears Ears National Monument Designation, but together, these
46 resolutions are a testament of the federal government's overreach when it designated 1.35
47 million acres in San Juan County as a national monument:
48 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah, the
49 Governor concurring therein, encourages the necessary steps to be taken to acquire the land
50 designated as the Bears Ears National Monument through the Recreation and Public Purposes
51 Act for public purposes.
52 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that management and stewardship over the land would
53 be a joint coalition effort that includes southwestern Native American tribes, the Utah Division
54 of Indian Affairs, local elected officials, and the local Navajo Nation chapter surrounding the
55 Bears Ears area.
56 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be sent to the President of
57 the United States, Utah's congressional delegation, the Secretary of the Department of the
58 Interior, and the Secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture.
Legislative Review Note
Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel