Colorado's Canyons Of The Ancients No Longer Under Review: Interior

CORTEZ, CO — Colorado's Canyons of the Ancients will be removed from a list of national monuments being reviewed nationwide, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said.

Zinke said Friday that when he and President Donald Trump launched the review of 27 national monuments designated by previous administrations, "we absolutely realized that not all monuments are the same and that not all monuments would require modifications."

Zinke called Canyons of the Ancients "gorgeous land," but said its Native American archaeological sites were even more important. The site spans thousands of years, and Zinke said federal protections "will help us preserve this site for a thousand more years."

Last week, Zinke removed two other monuments, in Idaho and Washington state, from his review of monuments created since 1996. A full report is due next month.

By MATTHEW DALY, Associated Press

Photo credit: Carolyn Kaster/Associated Press; Larry Lamsa via Flickr/Creative Commons