A few weeks back, the Trump administration sent an executive order to the U.S. Department of the Interior instructing Secretary Ryan Zinke to review dozens of sites that were designated as national monuments over the past 25 years under the Antiquities Act. That order is expected to be carried out in three months, with some outstanding outdoor environments now at risk of losing their protected status, and potentially opening them up for commercial or even industrial development.
Recently, Men’s Journal covered this story and compiled a list of the top five national monuments that are now on the chopping block. This list is filled with some very popular outdoor playgrounds that have received protected status under the Clinton, Bush, and Obama administrations. But now, thanks to other outside interests, they could be in danger.
So which sites earned a spot on the list? For once, I’m going to go ahead and spoil all five of them, as I think this is a topic worth spreading the word on and getting more people involved in speaking out against the move. So, without further adieu, the top five most threatened monuments are is as follow:
- Grand Staircase-Escalante (Utah)
- Katahdin Woods and Waters (Maine)
- Northeast Canyons and Seamounts (Massachusetts)
- Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks (New Mexico)
- Bears Ears (Utah)
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