Trump Shrinks Utah Monuments by 90%

President Donald Trump signed two executive orders on Monday, significantly reducing the protected acreage of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments in southern Utah. The original combined area of these monuments spanned over 3 million acres, encompassing remote landscapes and numerous archaeological sites significant to local tribes. Following the executive orders, the protected land was reduced to a total of 302,600 acres, representing a reduction of more than 90% of their previous size.

The decision to shrink the monuments was driven by interests advocating for increased access for grazing, mining, and drilling activities within the monument boundaries. These industries had sought to open up the lands for resource extraction. Conversely, tribal nations and public lands advocates had championed the preservation of these areas for their cultural, historical, and ecological significance.

Bears Ears National Monument, established in December 2016 by President Barack Obama, initially covered approximately 1.35 million acres. Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, designated by President Bill Clinton in 1996, encompassed about 1.87 million acres. The combined total of over 3 million acres was a significant conservation effort. The drastic reduction by President Trump's administration aims to open substantial portions of these lands to potential development and resource exploitation, a move that has drawn strong opposition from conservation groups and Indigenous communities.