The history of conservation in the United States has been marked by land dispossession, oppression, and violence against Native Sovereigns. To rectify this history, co-management, or the sharing of responsibility between two government entities, emerged as a powerful strategy in strengthening Native involvement in conservation to respect Native sovereignty. In 2016, a coalition of the Hopi Tribe, Navajo Nation, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, Pueblo of Zuni, and Ute Indian Tribe proposed the creation of Bears Ears National Monument. In their proposal, the coalition delineated the necessity for the co-management of the Monument with the United States government. This paper assesses the limitations and potential of the National Monument’s model of co-management. Bears Ears National Monument offers a promising and just model for conservation in the United States which serves as a helpful intermediary step towards respecting Indigenous sovereignty but should not be considered an ideal end goal.