President Barack Obama designated two national monuments Wednesday at sites in Utah and Nevada that have become key flashpoints over use of public land in the U.S. West, marking the administration s latest move to protect environmentally sensitive areas in its final days.The Bears Ears National Monument in Utah will cover 1.35 million acres in the Four Corners region, the White House said. In a victory for Native American tribes and conservationists, the designation protects land that is considered sacred and is home to an estimated 100,000 archaeological sites, including ancient cliff dwellings.It s a blow for state Republican leaders and many rural residents who fear it will add another layer of unnecessary federal control and close the area to energy development and recreation, a common refrain in the battle over use of the American West s vast open spaces.In Nevada, a 300,000-acre Gold Butte National Monument outside Las Vegas would protect a scenic and ecologically fragile area near where rancher Cliven Bundy led in an armed standoff with government agents in 2014. It includes rock art, artifacts, rare fossils and recently discovered tracks. Today s actions will help protect this cultural legacy and will ensure that future generations are able to enjoy and appreciate these scenic and historic landscapes,  Obama said in a statement.His administration has rushed to safeguard vulnerable areas ahead of President-elect Donald Trump s inauguration. It has blocked new mining claims outside Yellowstone National Park and new oil drilling in the Arctic Ocean.Obama s creation and expansion of monuments covers more acreage than any other president.But Trump s upcoming presidency has tempered the excitement for tribal leaders and conservationists, with some worrying he could try to reverse or reduce some of Obama s expansive land protections.U.S. Rep. Rob Bishop of Utah, who opposes the Bears Ears Monument, has suggested presidents have the power to undo monuments, though it has not been done before.  FOX NewsBut instead of the picture actually reflecting the land hijacked to make the  national monument  he uses a pic of the wrong area, Arches National Park.As Jason Chaffetz noted, Obama didn t consult him or anyone else in Utah for their approval or their concerns about taking the land.The problem of the Federal government taking private and state land has exploded under Obama, and this is just the latest example.   Weasel Zippers