More than 20 mining claims filed in San Juan County on former Bears Ears land

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SALT LAKE CITY — The fight isn't over for the future of Bears Ears National Monument.

Utah conservation groups and mining companies have already filed claims on land that was removed from the monument. The groups say 23 mining claims have been filed in San Juan County since protections were lifted on Sept. 11, following modifications made by the Trump Administration to Bears Ears and other national park lands.

Kimmerle Mining, a Moab-based prospecting company, has filed 20 of the claims, according to the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance. Those claims are located near Lockhart Basin and the previously reclaimed Easy Peasy Mine.

"Immediately after the mining ban was lifted, 16 claims were filed on the lands removed from Bears Ears National Monument," said Charlie Luke, director for the state of Utah at the Wilderness Society. "This is not a hypothetical threat; it's the reality of what happens when national monument protections are gutted.

"We cannot allow special interests to turn a profit on Bears Ears at the expense of future generations."

Local tribal leaders and conservation groups are now renewing calls to restore the monument's original boundaries.

—Travis Richards