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Kern County Board of Supervisors did not vote to shrink Giant Sequoia National Monument

Posted at 5:37 PM, Jun 27, 2017
and last updated 2017-06-27 21:44:29-04

The Kern County Board of Supervisors used their afternoon session on Tuesday to discuss the potential of downsizing the Giant Sequoia National Monument.

The supervisors were expected to make a vote on the topic, but the county's planning commission pulled it for further evaluation.

The proposal that was withheld would have called to shrink the monument, which currently covers 328,000 acres. It stems from a belief that the park's size and restrictions present fire dangers.

The proposal from Kern County's Planning Commission calls for the monument to downsize to 90,000, the size President George H.W. Bush originally designated in 1992. President Bill Clinton pushed the park to its current size in 2000.

This discussion of shrinking the park comes shortly after President Donald Trump said he would consider eliminating or downsizing several national parks throughout the country.

Over 20 national monuments are subject to President Trump's proposal. The deadline to comment is July 10th.

To voice your opinion, you can click here and comment.