The Ute Indian Tribe is condemning Biden’s announcement of the Camp Hale – Continental Divide National Monument which is located within the original homelands of the Ute Indian Tribe in Colorado. President Biden was at Camp Hale yesterday in order to sign the proclamation designating what is the first National Monument of his administration. In the statement issued Wednesday, the Ute Indian Tribe Business Committee stated, “They moved forward with a monument on our homelands without including us. They talk about tribal consultation, but their actions do not match their words. We cannot support a monument on our homelands that does not include the Tribe.” The press release further shared that the Ute Indian Tribe learned about plans for the Monument just days ago and, concerned about management of their traditional homelands, the Tribe’s elected leaders were quickly summoned for a call with the White House…“Instead of fully engaging the Ute Indian Tribe and its Uncompahgre Band in designating the Monument, the White House rushed forward with its own priorities.” The Business Committee further commented, “It is a disgrace to our ancestors to exclude the Tribe in the care and protection of these burial sites. We are shocked that 200 years later, nothing has changed,” the statement continues. “This unlawful action by the President today is a desecration of our ancestors that remain buried on our homelands.” This site for a National Monument has been something that Michael Bennet, Colorado’s senior Democratic Senator, has pursued for years. The designation has been called a political stunt by not only Bennet’s Republican opponent in this November’s election but also in many news publications, including a Washington Post article that labels it as an act to boost fellow Democrats ahead of the election. Further opposition has come in relation to the Biden administration’s announcement on Wednesday that new oil and gas drilling is to be paused on 225,000 acres of public lands near Camp Hale.
