US National monuments’ land to be shrunk, angering conservation groups

‘The US Interior Department plans to scale back or eliminate national monuments, despite an outpouring of public condemnation for the policy set forth by an executive order by President Donald Trump.
US Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke delivered the recommendations to the president’s desk on Thursday, following a 120-day study of 27 national monuments.
Zinke released a statement saying that monuments will be scaled back, but did not mention which ones. He stated that no monuments will be eliminated in the recommendation.
However, the secretary did say that he recommended boundary changes for a “handful” of sites, the Associated Press reported.
Over the last two weeks, conservation groups have launched public campaigns to change Zinke’s mind about changing the designations of the monuments.
“Any recommendation from Secretary Zinke to shrink national monuments is hypocritical at best and ruinous at worst,” said Michael Brune, Director of the Sierra Club, Reuters reported.’
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