Considerable controversy surrounds the areas designated for protection in Southeastern Utah, which have culminated in two Presidential Proclamations.  

The first proclamation (Dec 28^th, 2016), was made by President Barack Obama, who had been petitioned in a joint effort of five Native American Nations to establish federal protection over those lands.   In the petition, a partnership of the Native American governments defined 1.9 million acres of land that encompassed many thousands of archeological and culturally significant sites....