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Dear Supporter of Grand Staircase,
We have not been idle since President Trump's Proclamation on July 13, 2026. Today, in response to the Presidential Proclamation that reduced the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument by 90%, Grand Staircase Escalante Partners and our co-plaintiffs filed paperwork asking the court to reactivate our case from 2017 - the first time the Monument was reduced.
In our filing today, we asked the Court to void both the 2017 Proclamation and the 2026 Proclamation because the President's actions are illegal and unconstitutional. President Trump does not have the authority to eliminate monument protections nor to override boundaries that Congress confirmed by their legislative authority. In case you are curious, legal services have been provided on a pro bono basis because of our small size and the importance of our work to the Monument and its connected landscapes and watersheds. We are grateful for this assistance.
Our national monuments and other public lands are crucial components of our shared American identity. Some would even argue that our connection to place is what helps us define our humanity. We need to protect our public lands, their incredible plants and animals, their defining landmarks, and their Indigenous and modern histories. Together, these individual pieces create the bio-cultural diversity that defines both a united American identity and unique state and regional identities.
Together, Grand Staircase Escalante Partners, Conservation Lands Foundation, and the Society for Vertebrate Paleontology will stand up for this incredible landscape. Others join us, and we hope that you will too.
-Jackie
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