Mr. Crofts, a former policy director for Senator Mike Lee, Republican of Utah, did not respond to a request for comment. Representatives for Utah’s Public Lands Policy Coordinating Office also did not return a request for comment.
Bears Ears is the ancestral homeland of five tribes in the region: the Navajo Nation, Hopi Tribe, Ute Indian Tribe, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe and Pueblo of Zuni. It contains thousands of archaeological sites that tribes consider culturally significant, including the remains of burial grounds, cliff dwellings and rock art panels.
The monument also boasts “world class outdoor recreation opportunities,” Mr. Obama wrote in his proclamation designating Bears Ears, which cited “rock climbing, hunting, hiking, backpacking, canyoneering, whitewater rafting, mountain biking and horseback riding.”
Louis Williams, the founder and owner of Ancient Wayves River and Hiking Adventures, which provides tours of Bears Ears led by Indigenous guides, said he watched live as Mr. Trump signed the executive order to shrink the monument.
“I was shaking my head,” Mr. Williams said. “I was like, ‘I wonder if he’s ever been here to this region, because if he knew this region, he would find out this place is totally accessible.’”