Utah national monuments to get pre-Trump defense at rally

• Former President Obama established Bears Ears National Monument in 2016 to be managed in cooperation with Indigenous tribes near the Four Corners.
• Less than a year later, Trump redrew the 1.3 million-acre monument's boundaries, removing about 85% of its area — and cut out about half the area of Grand Staircase-Escalante. It was the largest reduction of federal land protections in U.S. history.
• The Biden administration restored the original boundaries in 2021.

Driving the news: The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance and other conservation groups are staging a rally Saturday at the Utah State Capitol, warning Trump could once again seek to reduce the two monuments.

• The event will also protest Utah's pending lawsuit seeking control of millions of acres of federally managed land.

What they're saying: In a news statement, SUWA organizers said the rally will "demonstrate unwavering local support for protected public lands and wild places across Utah."

State of play: Utah Republicans have long sought less restrictive protections at the monuments, allowing potential expansion of drilling, mining and other commercial uses.

• Trump's previous monument reductions removed protections for several popular landmarks, rock formations, trailheads and ancient rock art displays.

How it works: National monuments are created by presidential proclamation under the Antiquities Act to protect places of historic, prehistoric or scientific interest.

• By contrast, national parks are created by Congress.

The intrigue: The monuments' shifting boundaries have left unresolved legal questions as to whether a president can unilaterally withdraw a predecessor's protections.

• A federal judge threw out a lawsuit Utah officials filed in 2022 to stop Biden's restoration of the two monuments. The state appealed and is awaiting a ruling following oral arguments in September. If Trump again reduces the boundaries, that case will be moot.

Yes, but: Switching back to Trump's reduced map would revive SUWA's 2017 lawsuit arguing Trump had no authority to rescind a monument.