During a visit to Utah on Monday, President Trump announced the signing of two executive orders that would shrink the size of two National Monuments. The Bears Ears & Grand Staircase Escalante National Monuments were drastically reduced in size after having been reviewed back in April by the Interior Secretary, Ryan Zinke, who conducted a review of more than two dozen national monuments and their boundaries.
Both executive orders, signed into effect on December 4, 2017, have been met with voices in favor and voices against the reduction in boundaries. The Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, which was signed into a national monument by President Bill Clinton in 1996, will be reduced in size from it's nearly 1.9 million acres to 1,003,863 acres; while the Bears Ears National Monument, which was created in December of 2016 by President Barack Obama, will be reduced to 201,876 acres versus it's original 1,351,849 acres.
2 Comments on “President Trump Modifies Grand Staircase and Bears Ears”
I am extremely saddened to hear the news of the shrinking of the monuments. This move is unprecedented as former presidents–both Republican and Democrat–have created rather than destroyed monuments. Not so with Mr. Trump and his secretary of interior.
As you know from your Zion experience, our national parks and monuments are more popular than ever. We are a role model for the world (in spite of our problems). We create jobs, not only within our public lands, but also in local communities, and bring in $ billions in tourism. It’s been documented.
I believe the politicians in Utah, who wish to see the monuments open to development, have the interests of the very few in mind–the large corporations that are their donors. As far as I can tell, they do not listen to all the people who own these lands. I am a taxpayer, and they are my public lands.
I have expressed my desire in all kinds of ways to see these places protected. I responded to the call for public input from the Secretary of Interior. I have called, emailed and snail-mailed my representatives.
As far as I can tell, none of these folks are listening. It is shameful.
Silly concerns about Utah politicians wanting to do anything with the land. None of the altered Monuments are state controlled. It’s still federal land. All of it.