WASHINGTON (ABC4 Utah) – The Wilderness Society and Native American Rights Fund say they have gotten a hold of maps that show plans to drastically diminish national lands in Utah.
Both Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears National Monuments would be reduced dramatically according to these maps, they say, were leaked by the Trump Administration.
President Donald Trump is scheduled to visit the Beehive State, Monday, December 4. He’s expected to make his announcement about the future of the monuments. Senator Orrin Hatch says he believes the outcome will “strike an excellent balance where everyone wins.”
The inevitable reduction to Utah’s national monuments comes after Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke was tasked with reviewing recent public land declarations and the 1906 Antiquities Act which grants the president the power to make such designations.
Following a visit to Utah, Zinke’s initial report recommended changing the boundaries of Bears Ears National Monument. While there have only been rumors about the specifics of the changes, these allegedly leaked maps show what could be the new borders of both monuments.
“The details of the President’s announcement are his and his alone to make, but I appreciate his willingness to listen to my advice and even more importantly, to give the people of Utah a voice in this process,” said Hatch in a statement Thursday.
View the full Bears Ears National Monument – Boundary Modification map here.
View the full Grand Staircase-Escalante Boundary Modification map here.
A handful of conservation and public lands advocate groups are gathering to rally at the Utah State Capitol. The rally will take place ahead of Trump’s visit next week although it has been in the works since before specifics of his Utah trip were announced. The event titled a Rally Against Trump’s Monumental Mistake is Saturday at 1 p.m.
