WASHINGTON, D.C. (Dec. 28, 2016) -- U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, released the following statement on President Obama's designation of the Bears Ears National Monument in southern Utah:
"The Bears Ears region, a spectacular landscape with its big skies and red rocks east of the Colorado River and south of Canyonlands National Park, includes thousands of historic and cultural sites with deep meaning to numerous Native American tribes. The Navajo, Zuni, Cochiti, Ute Mountain Ute, Hopi, Uintah and Ouray Ute, and many others should be proud of the years of tireless work they committed to making this day possible. They raised their voices about how closely tied the Bears Ears region is to their people and told the stories of the legacy left in the canyons and on the mesas by their ancestors. Bears Ears is sacred ground and the tribes will now have a say in the stewardship and management of it. America's public lands are part of the fabric of our democracy. I thank President Obama for recognizing the extraordinary history of Bears Ears and protecting these lands for our children and all future generations."