Zinke under fire from public lands advocates

As the Trump administration's review of national monument designations reaches a close, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke is facing more heat than ever from conservationists and outdoor groups. Opponents of the review say it could close off America's natural treasures to the public, and have poured more than $2 million into ads targeting Zinke, urging him not to rescind large national monuments established under the last three presidents. But industry officials and conservatives want Zinke to loosen the federal government's grip on huge swaths of acreage around the country, and propose reforms to the monuments law. “We're all-hands-on-deck on monuments right now,” said Aaron Weiss, a spokesman for the Center for Western Priorities. “Clearly across the conservation world, recognizing this is completely unprecedented, I think that’s part of the reason why you’ve seen the scale of the response you’re seeing, he said. Weiss’s group is one of several to launch advertising campaigns slamming the review and urging Zinke to maintain the monuments. Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, the League of Conservation Voters and the Western Values Project are also on the air, nationally and in the West, advertising against the review process. The campaign is designed to pressure Zinke in areas where both monuments are popular, and Zinke, a former Montana Congressman, has his roots.“This review puts at risk our most precious and valued outdoor areas,” said Jayson O’Neill, the deputy director of the Western Values Project...more