US President Donald Trump slashed the size of two Utah conservation areas Monday, the first such large-scale reversal in more than 100 years.

Trump traveled to Salt Lake City to announce that he was cutting 85 percent of the vast Bears Ears National Monument and around 45 percent of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.

Trump painted the decision as giving government-held land back to communities and ending Washington overreach.

"The families and communities of Utah know and love this land the best, and you know the best how to take care of your land," he said.

"Your timeless bond with the outdoors should not be replaced with the whims of regulators thousands and thousands of miles away."

The move could open the door to energy exploration and other commercial use.

Trump's opponents say the areas are home to more than 100,000 archaeological sites, including rock art that is at least 5,000 years old and the remains of 21 previously unknown dinosaur species.

The move raises questions about the durability of other conservation areas designated under the 1906 Antiquities Act.

"This law requires that only the smallest necessary area be set aside for special protection as national monuments," Trump said.

"Unfortunately, previous administrations have ignored the standard and used the law to lock up hundreds of millions of acres of land and water under strict government control."

Trump said these two areas were a different order of magnitude.

"I understood how big it is -- I'm a real estate developer. When they start talking about millions of acres, I say, 'say it again? That's a lot,'" Trump remarked.

Environmental lobby group Friends of the Earth accused Trump and his allies of plundering resources.

"Donald Trump is overseeing the largest elimination of protected areas in US history. Dismantling these monuments is Trump's latest gift to the corporate interests who backed his campaign. This action is unprecedented and will end up in court," the group said in a statement.

Meanwhile, 10 environmental protection groups, including the Sierra Club and The Wilderness Society, filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration.

The lawsuit denounced the "unlawful proclamation" which it said "flouted 111 years of conservation history" and would leave natural "treasures exposed to immediate and ongoing harm."

"This is a sad day for indigenous people and for America," Navajo Nation Vice President Jonathan Nez said in a statement, adding the Native American tribe would also file a lawsuit against the Trump administration along with four other tribes.

Tweet

Chimp females who leave home postpone parenthood
Durham NC (SPX) Nov 30, 2017
New moms need social support, and mother chimpanzees are no exception. So much so that female chimps that lack supportive friends and family wait longer to start having babies, according to researchers who have combed through the records of Jane Goodall's famous Gombe chimpanzees. Wild chimpanzee females in western Tanzania who leave home or are orphaned take roughly three years longer to ... read more

Related Links
All About Human Beings and How We Got To Be Here

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The Space Media Network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceMediaNetwork Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceMediaNetwork Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only