Photo: Josh Ewing
President Trump will fly to Salt Lake City Utah on Monday, December 4th to shrink Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments.
Documents leaked from the White House and obtained by a variety of sources such as The Washington Post, Outside Online, and the Salt Lake Tribune, suggest that President Trump will issue an order, which, if eventually upheld in court, would dramatically reduce Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments in Utah. If these obtained documents are true, Trump will dismantle Bears Ears National Monument into two smaller monuments encompassing just 201,000 of the monument’s original 1.35 million acres. Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument will also be broken into three smaller monuments with a combined acreage of less than one million acres, roughly half of its original size.
The Conservation Alliance and our member companies have worked vigorously to demonstrate support for National Monuments, and to oppose any changes to their boundaries. Nearly three million Americans commented during the review period, 99 percent of whom urged Trump to leave these special protected areas alone.
Native Americans, conservation and recreation groups, and outdoor businesses are preparing to file lawsuits against the Trump Administration immediately following an announcement on Monday, and The Conservation Alliance will make grants from our Public Lands Defense Fund to support this litigation. In the meantime, there are still ways to make our voices heard. Below are two ways to take action immediately.
- Attend Saturday’s Rally in Salt Lake City. Join Utahans on the south steps of the Utah State Capitol to resist Trump’s efforts to dismantle our national monuments. RSVP here.
- Make your voice heard on social media. Visit monumentsforall.org/action to quickly do so.
Please stay tuned. We will compile a concise list of ways to take action promptly following any Trump announcement on Monday.
