Obama names 2 new national monuments before Trump takes office

Add two more national monuments to President Barack Obama's conservation legacy.

On Tuesday afternoon Obama announced the designation of the Bears Ears and Gold Butte national monuments in Utah and Nevada. Just last week he announced a ban on Arctic gas and oil drilling, only a month before pro-drilling Donald Trump takes office.

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The newest protected areas include sacred sites important to Native American tribes who have fought for the land, water and wildlife there for generations. Bears Ears, named for geological formations in southeastern Utah, is 1.35 million acres of federal land, which includes ancestral grounds, according to the White House.

The other monument, Gold Butte, is just outside Las Vegas and is smaller at 300,000 acres. The White House noted rock art, archeological artifacts and even recently discovered dinosaur tracks from hundreds of millions of years ago as important resources to preserve. 

In a statement, the president said, "These monuments will protect places that a wide range of stakeholders all agree are worthy of protection. We also have worked to ensure that tribes and local communities can continue to access and benefit from these lands for generations to come."

Protecting these lands has been part of political discussions for years and hasn't come easily.

Image: Jeff Scheid /Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP

The White House said legislation to designate these areas as protected land was first introduced in 2008. The Bears Ears plans have been in discussion since way back in 1936. In more recent years, the Hopi Nation, Navajo Nation, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah Ouray, and Zuni Tribe created a proposal for the area, which was incorporated in Obama's designation. 

For those keeping track, these two monuments can be added to the list of about 25 federally protected regions added during Obama's eight years in office under the Antiquities Act. As his term ends, there's been a sense of urgency to preserve wilderness areas, natural resources and sacred spaces. It's uncertain how the Trump administration will protect the environment, considering he's been tapping many climate deniers to powerful positions and criticized Obama for establishing a national monument in Maine back in October. 

Trump's pick for secretary of the Department of the Interior, which oversees the National Park Service, is Republican Rep. Ryan Zinke — an avid hunter who has been criticized by several environmentalist groups. 

Of course, the conservation announcement didn't come without detractors. Sen. Orrin Hatch from Utah released a statement on Twitter calling the Utah designation an "egregious abuse of executive power" that didn't involve people who actually live and manage the land. Hatch vowed under Trump to "do everything in my power to reverse this travesty." 

Another Utah senator voiced his disapproval of the designation.

Meanwhile U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell praised the new protections. 

Conservation groups also joined in on the praise. Nevada Conservation League's executive director Andy Maggi said in a statement about the Gold Butte National Monument, "This national monument will not only ensure that our history, landscapes and wildlife are conserved for generations to come, but will also boost our outdoor recreation economy."

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