Bears Ears National Monument, largely following the boundaries in this early map of the proposed monument, was established Wednesday by President Obama.

Bears Ears, a 1.35-million-acre rugged redrock landscape rich in Native American history and lore, was declared a national monument Wednesday by President Obama, whose action via the Antiquities Act quickly infuriated Utah's politicians. The wide swath of land covered by the designation includes much of land long desired by conservationists to provide the "completion" of Canyonlands National Park.

While the U.S. Bureau of Land Management will work with the U.S. Forest Service in overseeing the new monument as the Bears Ears boundary includes part of the Manti-LaSal National Forest, they will involve tribal, state, and local governments, as well as the National Park Service, in managing the landscape that is rife with archaeological resources.

“The rock art, ancient dwellings, and ceremonial sites concealed within these breathtaking landscapes help tell the story of people who have stewarded these lands for hundreds of generations,” said Interior Secretary Sally Jewell in a release. “Today’s action builds on an extraordinary effort from tribes, local communities, and members of Congress to ensure that these treasures are protected for generations to come, so that tribes may continue to use and care for these lands, and all may have an opportunity to enjoy their beauty and learn from their rich cultural history.”

The president's action was quickly condemned by one member of Utah's all-Republican congressional delegation, Rep. Jason Chaffetz.

“President Obama’s unilateral decision to invoke the Antiquities Act in Utah politicizes a long-simmering conflict. This unfortunate act threatens to further inflame controversies that were near resolution," he said in a release. "The midnight move is a slap in the face to the people of Utah, attempting to silence the voices of those who will bear the heavy burden it imposes. Furthermore, the decision is a major break with protocol previously followed by this administration. It does not have the support of the governor, a single member of the state’s Congressional delegation, nor any local elected officials or state legislators who represent the area."

But the move was praised by a tribal caucus that had long worked with Rep. Chaffetz and U.S. Rep. Rob Bishop, also of Utah, to work out a management plan for the landscape sacred to many tribes only to come away angry and disappointed.

"President Obama's action comes in response to the historic request of Native American people, led by the five Tribes of the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition: Hopi Tribe, Navajo Nation, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, People of Zuni, and the Ute Tribe of the Uinta Ouray Reservation," the group said in a release. "Thirty regional tribes passed formal resolutions of support for Bears Ears National Monument, as did the National Congress of American Indians, representing more than 300 tribes across the United States.

"... Today's action marks the first time in history that Native American Tribes have called for and succeeded in protecting their sacred ancestral homelands through National Monument designation by a president of the United States of America. In this way, Bears Ears National Monument represents the first truly Native American National Monument in U.S. history."

The crooked boundary of the monument touches Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Canyonlands National Park, and Natural Bridges National Monument. 

According to an Interior release, "(T)he monument designations maintain currently authorized uses of the land that do not harm the resources protected by the monument, including tribal access and traditional collection of plants and firewood, off-highway vehicle recreation, hunting and fishing and authorized grazing. The monument designation also does not affect valid existing rights for oil, gas, and mining operations, military training operations, and utility corridors."

President Obama also designated Gold Butte National Monument in southeastern Nevada.

At the National Parks Conservation Association, Southwest Regional Director David Nimkin said the Bears Ears designation "ensures the sacred lands of our first Americans are protected and appropriately interpreted, while also maintaining the ecological and recreational values of the landscape.”

"NPCA has long advocated for the 'completion' of Canyonlands National Park through expansion to include the area that was intended to be part of the park when it was originally proposed," an NPCA release added. "Much of that area is included in Bears Ears National Monument and will now receive a higher level of protection with greater management input from the National Park Service."

Initial praise for the designation also came from the League of Conservation Voters, outdoor manufacturer Patagonia, religious leaders, and the Center for Western Priorities.

“By protecting Bears Ears and Gold Butte, President Obama has secured his legacy as one of America’s great conservation presidents. These spectacular landscapes, with their archaeological sites threatened by looting and vandalism, are in dire need of protection," said Jennifer Rokala, executive director of the Center for Western Priorities. “President Obama’s use of the Antiquities Act confirms why it is just as important today as it was when Teddy Roosevelt signed the act into law 110 years ago—when a dysfunctional Congress fails to do its job, the president must have the authority to protect America’s natural and cultural treasures for future generations."

At the League for Conservation Voters, President Gene Karpinski said, "(T)oday's announcement is the best way to ensure that the Bears Ears region has the protection it deserves after Rep. Rob Bishop failed to deliver meaningful protections through legislation. For years the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition has been working to save America's most significant unprotected cultural landscape, and today they've been rewarded along with a historic decision that will give tribes a larger voice in how the area is managed."

Rep. Chaffetz said the Utah delegation would work with President-elect Trump "to follow through on his commitment to repeal midnight regulations. We will work to repeal this top-down decision and replace it with one that garners local support and creates a balanced, win-win solution.”