Description

In March 2024, the Bears Ears Intertribal Coalition, with the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service , released a draft of the Bears Ears Monument Management Plan (funded by the Foundation). Public comment is now open for the draft plan which will be followed by a series of e nvironmental impact statement before a final management plan is released. This new grant will support the Coalition as they work to sustain momentum and community engagement with Native communities of the 5 member tribes. They will hold at least 26 community events throughout the Tribal communities and surrounding areas that will take two forms: 1) meetings where individuals can meet with and discuss concerns about Bears Ears management in a town hall setting and 2) community awareness events, where the Coalition is seeking to build connections with Native communities and other stakeholders and by updating them on developments of monument management. This grant will also allow the Coalition to develop a youth education engagement program that will focus on developing a cohort of youth interns to work with Native communities on outreach and other community education opportunities.