American Indians, environmentalists call to preserve sacred land in Utah
There are an estimated 100,000 archaeological sites within a 1.9-million acre area of Utah’s red rock country that a coalition of American Indian tribes and environmentalists want President Barack Obama to designate as a national monument to ensure protections of lands considered sacred. The latest indication that the Obama administration is giving serious consideration to the “Bears Ears” monument proposal has drawn both proponents and opponents. The issue has become the latest battleground in the debate over public lands in the West.