KSJD Local Newscast - April 24, 2025

The Washington Post is reporting that officials with the Interior Department are considering shrinking at least six national monuments in the West.
According to the Post, the monuments that may see their acreage reduced dramatically include Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante in southern Utah, which have been resized before. The new Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni - (BAAH NUH WAHV JOH) Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument in northern Arizona, which was designated by President Biden in 2023, is also reportedly on the list.
The three other monuments targeted are Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks in southern New Mexico, Ironwood Forest in Arizona, and Chuckwalla in California. Finalized resource management plans were just announced for both Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante in January.
The Trump administration is proposing major changes to federal public lands, including increasing drilling and mining on them and transferring the ownership of some lands to states, which could then sell them.
Any changes to national monuments will be challenged in court. The Antiquities Act of 1906 gives presidents the power to designate national monuments but does not say whether presidents can undo them. It’s also unclear on how large presidentially created monuments can be. President Theodore Roosevelt used the act to protect the Grand Canyon.
In a press release, La Plata County Commissioner Marsha Porter-Norton said, “National monuments and public lands are integral to our way of life in the Four Corners. They provide key protections for the one-of-a-kind natural wonders and cultural sites that bring millions of dollars in revenue to our region, increase access for outdoor recreation, and help people appreciate and enjoy nature, all while supporting wildlife habitat and promoting water conservation. These unique landscapes are worthy of protection, and I hope the Trump Administration takes these benefits into consideration before making any decisions that will negatively impact the public lands we call home."