Interior boss: Take shears to Bears Ears

Utah monument review yields recommendation

WASHINGTON — Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said Monday that he had recommended that President Donald Trump shrink the 1.3 million-acre Bears Ears National Monument in Utah and give tribal leaders more authority to manage the smaller area.

Zinke did not make recommendations on the 27 other national monuments under review, including Gold Butte and Basin and Range in Nevada.

Trump asked Zinke to review recent presidential declarations of monuments — including Bears Ears and Gold Butte, which were designated by President Barack Obama on Dec. 16 — to determine whether recent presidents abused their authority under the 1906 Antiquities Act.

Zinke said the designation of Bears Ears overlapped wilderness area already protected. He said he had recommended a trim of an unspecified acreage and a focus on prehistoric and archeological sites.

“The recommendations were not made in a bubble in Washington, D.C.,” Zinke told reporters. “I’ve spent a lot of time on the ground in Utah.”

Zinke said he conducted a 45-day review of Bears Ears. His recommendation includes congressional review of the changes to boundaries of the park and more authority for tribal leaders.

The Utah congressional delegation had urged the Trump administration to overturn the Obama designation and also the establishment of Grand Stairway-escalante National Monument in 1996 by President Bill Clinton.

The 45-day review dealt only with Bears Ears. Zinke said a final recommendation would come later this year after he has reviewed all the monuments listed for review.

Contact Gary Martin at 202-662-7390 or gmartin@ reviewjournal.com. Follow @ garymartindc on Twitter.