Less than a year ago, President Barack Obama established Bears Ears National Monument in an attempt to protect some 1.35 million acres of awe-inspiring red rock canyons in Utah.
It holds an almost countless number of ancient dwellings and petroglyphs, in among unique geological formations. But yesterday, 85 percent of that land lost its National Monument protection, after President Donald Trump rescinded its protections and those of large portions of nearby Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.On one hand, this appears to expose around two million acres to commercial activities, ranging from oil and gas extraction to mining and logging. But it’s not all going to be razed tomorrow. Significant portions of that land and its bounty do still hold other forms of protection. The Valley of the Gods, for instance, is an Area of Critical Environmental Concern, while other areas are covered by Wilderness Study Area protection. Manti-La Sal National Forest may no longer be part of the new Monument, but it will retain its National Forest status and management. There are other, more nebulous kinds of protection too. The Archaeological Resources Protection Act, Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and Endangered Species Act are all still in place, but without National Monument designation, there’s no overriding umbrella protection. Stripping away this layer of federal oversight leaves the entire landscape exposed.
The key, says…
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