U.S. Bureau of Land Management officials on Friday announced that they would remove from an upcoming oil and gas lease sale several parcels near Zion National Park in southwestern Utah.

A continuous stream of heavy sand and rock debris falling near the west tunnel entrance of the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway has prompted Zion National Park officials to temporarily close the road.

Managing and preserving wildlife like bison, manatees, and condors is a key and ongoing mission for the National Park Service. Your tax-deductible donations to National Parks Traveler will support stories revolving around wildlife and the health of national park ecosystems.

Last week, President Trump launched an unprecedented assault on America’s public lands when he ordered Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to evaluate whether dozens of national monuments should be rescinded or reduced in size. It wasn't the first such attack, and more times than not in the past the same voices that once warned of economies destroyed by lands protection come to see that there’s more value in protecting a place than stripping it of minerals and trees.