bears ears national monument

More than 330 organizations and businesses have sent a letter to the Trump administration protesting the drastic reductions in two Utah national monuments.

President Trump is expected to reduce Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments. Conservation groups are preparing legal challenges, while Dolores County has reduced some Ferris Fire evacuation levels.

KSJD’s Andie Ravensbergen talks with Sarah Burak, Education Director at the Bears Ears Partnership, about Bluff, Utah’s recent designation as an International Dark Sky Community and the town’s first-ever Dark Sky Festival on November 14th and 15th. Burak — a self-proclaimed “Dark Sky Enthusiast” — shares her passion for astronomy, community collaboration, and preserving the beauty of the region’s star-filled skies.

This week, we explore the cultural significance of Bears Ears, a safe parking program for workers, and the impact of federal immigration laws on local communities.

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.

Hovenweep National Monument on the Utah-Colorado border is one of ten monuments in the Southwest that are at risk of losing federal protections.

The future of three national monuments in the Four Corners area is now highly uncertain.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected an effort by the state of Utah to get the Bureau of Land Management to give up control of lands in that state. And in related news, two polls released Tuesday show strong public support for some national monuments that may be in the crosshairs of the Trump administration.

Sagebrush Empire is a new book from western writer Jonathan Thompson. It details the fight over public lands in Southeastern Utah. KZMU’s Justin Higginbottom speaks with the author about the roots of this conflict over land, and what to expect after a restoration of Bears Ears National Monument.

Deb Haaland is the recently-confirmed Secretary of the Interior and the first Native American cabinet official. She’s only been in office for a few weeks,…