Trump wants to shrink Bears Ears National Monument by 90% - here's what it looks like
Dec 5, 2017, 00:41 IST
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- President Donald Trump on Monday will announce the reduction of Bears Ears National Monument by up to 90%, in what will be the largest reduction of a national monument to date.
- He'll also announce plans to cut Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in half, in a push led by Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke and Utah Senator Orrin Hatch.
- Bears Ears, declared a National Monument by former President Barack Obama in 2016, is sacred to the local Navajo tribes and a popular destination for rock climbers and outdoor enthusiasts.
- Beyond its beautiful sandstone buttes and canyons, Bears Ears holds numerous culturally-significant archaeological sites, including ancient Anasazi cliff fortresses and petroglyphs recording thousands of years of history.
- A coalition of local tribal leaders and outdoor enthusiasts have vowed to fight Trump's decision in court, setting up a showdown over who controls these public lands, and what they are really for.