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On Wed., Dec. 28, 2016, President Barack Obama announced the designation of Bears Ears National Monument, a measure conceived in part by . The president’s designation will protect approximately 1.35 million acres of federal land surrounding the Bears Ears Buttes in southeastern Utah.

Five tribes—the Hopi, Navajo, Ute Mountain Ute, Uintah and Ouray Ute, and Zuni—formally organized the in July 2015. Since then, he has served on a��pro bono��basis as senior advisor to the tribes. Wilkinson was one of the main architects behind the coalition’s overall strategy, including the October 2015 proposal to Obama for the creation of Bears Ears National Monument. .��

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“This is the first national monument ever brought forth by tribes,” Wilkinson said. “Tribes have signed off, usually as minor signatories on other monument proposals, but this is the first time they’ve taken the lead. The Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition is the most amazing grassroots coalition I’ve ever seen.”

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