Donald Trump's plan to shrink Bears Ears National Monument — land cherished by Indigenous peoples for its cultural, spiritual and archeological importance and designated as a national monument by President Obama in 2016 — is not just deplorable, but also illegal. It threatens the preservation of all U.S. national monuments.

The effort to designate Bears Ears in Utah as a protected National Monument was a years-long, public process led by five tribes — Hopi Tribe, Navajo Nation, Pueblo of Zuni, Ute Indian Tribe, and Ute Mountain Tribe. However, after reviewing the Bears Ears designation process, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke ignored public input and indicated the monument's acerage should be reduced, acting as if Bears Ears was designated “without public outreach and proper coordination."

So who did Trump appointee Ryan Zinke "reach out to and properly coordinate" with during his 3 month review? Energy Fuels Resources (USA) Inc., a subsidiary of a Canadian uranium mining firm which fought Obama's designation of Bears Ears and has lobbied for its repeal ever since. Preposterously, Zinke and Utah Republican Senator Orrin Hatch say this has nothing to do with extracting resources from Bears Ears.

But there is a catch: Trump he has no legal standing to decommission a national monument. In a statement released by the Native American Rights Fund (NARF) — the organization which filed a lawsuit to protect Bears Ears,

Under the Antiquities Act, the president may create national monuments. That is all. He or she may not diminish or revoke existing monuments—only Congress has that ability. Beginning with Theodore Roosevelt, Presidents have designated more than one hundred monuments throughout our country. No President has ever previously sought to abolish one by Executive Order because the Antiquities Act does not authorize the President to do so. If this unprecedented and unlawful action is allowed, the 129 national monuments across the United States will be at risk.

Sign the petition: Trumps attempt to decommission part of Bears Ears National Monument is illegal and threatens the existence of many more U.S. national monuments.