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President Donald Trump will reportedly announce a reduction of the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Escalante National Monuments early this week. According to a map, which was leaked to numerous media outlets and environmental organizations, the monuments could lose up to 85 percent of their current acreage. Environmentalists are concerned that if the land is not protected, it will be excavated for natural resources or otherwise destroyed.
As reported by National Geographic, Utah’s Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument was created by President Bill Clinton in 1996. In addition to a naturally formed “staircase,” which connects the Bryce and Grand Canyons, the national monument designation protects a number of archeological sites and the habitats of an estimated 300 animal species.
The Grand Staircase Escalante currently includes 1.9 million acres of land. However, according to the leaked map, the size of the national monument could be reduced to 997,490 acres — which would be divided into three separate national monuments.