The devil is in the details Bears Ears country of southeastern Utah (Bureau of Land Management - Utah) "Utah tribes secure co-management role for Bears Ears National Monument" (Headline, June 22, 2022, The Salt Lake Tribune ) "Native American tribes to co-manage national monument for first time" (Headline, June 20, 2022, The Washington Post ) “Co-management” is a term of rhetorical art coined by high-level Biden administration land managers and leaders of five tribes with ancestral ties to the Bears Ears region of southeast Utah and dutifully passed along by regional and national news outlets to describe an Inter-Governmental Cooperative Agreement ceremonially adopted on June 18. It was called "unprecedented" – a publicly prominent next step after President Biden's restoration in October of his Democratic predecessor's version of Bears Ears National Monument and toward fulfilling campaign promises to finally take concerns of Indian Country seriou
It's as if a train were rumbling through spectacular wildlands, destroying everything in its path – a dark vision embraced through time by indigenous spiritual leaders. Aboard the train are rich and influential newcomers who ravage an ancient way of life and the ecosystem every living thing depends on. They not only enjoy the ride, they stoke the engine for profit and tell us it’s a good thing. They call it "progress."