Defenders Speaks Out Against Proposed National Monument Plans

 An initial comment period ends today for the Department of the Interior’s proposal to develop management plans for the illegally redrawn Bears Ears National Monument. The comment period for a similar fraudulent management proposal for Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument ends Friday. In December, President Trump signed two unlawful proclamations massively reducing the size of these two national monuments. The orders cut down the size of Bears Ears National Monument by approximately 85 percent, and shrunk Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument to half its original size. The Trump administration is now attempting to create management plans for the remaining monument lands that have been subdivided into multiple, isolated areas.

Statement from Defenders of Wildlife Vice President of Landscape Conservation Mark Salvo:

“The Trump administration’s attempt to strip protections from vital national monument lands is unlawful, and proposing management plans for illegally drawn areas continues this fraudulent charade. This administration’s disregard for wildlife, Native American values and our nation’s conservation legacy is reprehensible. Defenders of Wildlife will continue fighting to save Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante from President Trump’s anti-conservation agenda.”