Victory For Bears Ears

 

We have great news to share! Thanks to our advocacy and legal action, an administrative judge has halted a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) project that would have bulldozed 13 reservoirs to redistribute cattle within Bears Ears National Monument.   This decision is a critical win for the fragile desert ecosystem of Bears Ears. Western Watersheds Project (WWP) challenged the project, arguing that the BLM failed to conduct a thorough environmental analysis before approving actions that could cause irreversible harm. Sage Steppe Wild filed a separate appeal of the same decision. The judge agreed, ruling that the project posed "immediate and irreparable impacts" to the monument’s lands.

Photo by volunteer with Great Old Broads for Wilderness.

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The BLM’s plan aimed to spread livestock across previously ungrazed areas, in an allotment leased by The Nature Conservancy, by bulldozing 13 new water reservoirs and adding miles of additional barbed-wire fencing. But this approach ignores well-documented science: Cattle concentrate around water sources, damaging vegetation, compacting fragile biological soil crusts, and accelerating desertification. Instead of improving land health, the project would have expanded livestock damage into pristine areas—directly contradicting the conservation goals of Bears Ears. The judge’s ruling makes it clear: BLM must do more to demonstrate that allowing livestock into untouched areas will not harm soils, vegetation, wildlife, and the cultural and natural resources Bears Ears was established to protect.   The fight isn’t over. WWP remains committed to holding land managers accountable and ensuring that Bears Ears and other irreplaceable landscapes receive the protection they deserve. As climate change and drought intensify, we must rethink outdated grazing policies that continue to degrade our public lands.   This victory was only possible thanks to the support of dedicated people like you. Please consider making a donation today to help us continue this critical work.   Thank you for standing with us in defense of our public lands.   Erik Molvar Executive Director Western Watersheds Project Photo by WWP taken near a proposed reservoir site. It shows healthy, intact biocrust and abundant grasses which would be within the zone of impact of a new reservoir.