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THE GREAT OUTDOORS — With President Donald Trump scheduled to visit Utah in December to discuss potential changes to two of the state’s national monuments, we wanted to open the discussion to see what Utahns thought.
Bears Ears National Monument was designated a national monument on Dec. 28, 2016, and like other local national monuments before it (here’s looking at you, Grand Staircase-Escalante,) it caused quite a debate among Utahns.
Some local political leaders publicly condemned the move, saying it was the latest attempt from Washington D.C. to land grab and lobby to special interest groups. However, other Utah groups including the Navajo Nation were excited about the new monument.
There are eight national monuments currently in Utah:
- Timpanogos Cave
- Dinosaur National Monument
- Cedar Breaks National Monument
- Bears Ears
- Natural Bridges
- Grand Staircase-Escalante
- Hovenweep
- Rainbow Bridge
When KSL.com did a poll in December 2016 to ask Utahns about if they agreed with the Bears Ears National Monument designation, 63 percent said no, 29 percent said yes and 9 percent were undecided. Another poll done in June found that 57 percent of readers agreed with shrinking Bears Ears, 15 percent thought the designation should be reworked entirely, 23 percent thought the monument should be left as is and 5 percent were unsure.
What do you think? Vote in our poll and leave a comment with your feedback.
If you can’t access the poll, click here.
