SALT LAKE CITY, Utah -- The landscape of Bears Ears National Monument has served as a vital resource for thousands of years to those living in southeastern Utah. According to the U.S. Forest Service , Bears Ears — which sprawls across more than 1.3 million acres — acts as a home to animal and plant life. Tribes have been able to collect plants and firewood within the monument. And over the past 200 years, ranchers, miners, Mormon pioneers and homesteaders have traveled within the area. Sixteen presidents have exercised the 1906 Antiquities Act, which gives the president broad authority to declare federal lands as monuments and restrict their use, to protect some of America's most historic monuments, including the Grand Canyon and the Statue of Liberty, according to the U.S. Forest Service. President Donald Trump signed proclamations Monday to formally downsize Bears Ears, as well as Grand-Staircase Escalante. Thousands have pro...