Dear NRDC Activist,

Shortly after taking office, former President Trump did the unthinkable and signed illegal proclamations gutting protections for Utah's Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments. With the stroke of a pen, Grand Staircase was reduced to nearly half its original size and Bears Ears was gutted by 85%. At the same time, commitments to the Native American tribes in the region were severed.

And Trump didn't stop there: He also slashed protections for Northeast Canyons and Seamounts, a marine monument off the coast of New England.

Trump's unlawful rollbacks left these spectacular, fragile ecosystems and sacred Indigenous cultural sites vulnerable to the impacts of industrial dangers like oil and gas drilling, uranium mining, and commercial fishing. But every step of the way, activists like you held them accountable, creating a wave of public opposition that couldn't be ignored.

I'm relieved to tell you that today President Biden forcefully repudiated Trump's despicable attacks on our national monuments by signing proclamations restoring protections to Bears Ears, Grand Staircase-Escalante, and Northeast Canyons and Seamounts.

Learn more about Biden's proclamations restoring protections for our national monuments at NRDC.org. It's hard to overstate just how important these areas are for the Indigenous Peoples who have lived in the region for millennia; for the marine biologists, archaeologists, and paleontologists who come from all over the world to study; and for the hikers, climbers, campers, and whale-watchers looking to appreciate some of the most beautiful wild places in the world (no exaggeration!).

When former President Trump illegally gutted Bears Ears and Grand Staircase, it was the largest rollback of public lands protections in American history and threw the future of all of America's public lands into question. And his attack on the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts dismantled what was to be the only highly protected area in the entire U.S. Atlantic Ocean.

Native American tribes, NRDC, and partner groups rushed to court to stop the Trump administration, waging multiple years-long legal battles.

It's easy to feel weighed down by all the environmental and public health challenges that need our attention, but today I'm celebrating this meaningful and long-awaited good news. Biden's proclamations are a huge victory for Indigenous communities, our shared public lands and waters, our climate, and for everyone who cherishes America's national monuments.

Thank you for standing with NRDC and making this important day possible!

Warmly,

Kabir Green
Director of Federal Affairs, NRDC