Having been to the area in question on the border of Colorado & Utah, I can see the real reason the previous administration made the National Monument area so large. There are high deposits of hydrocarbons under the area that have been thoughtfully explored & extracted in the past.
The historical significance of the stone structures is not in question, since the fate of the people that constructed & occupied them is still a mystery. Some verbal history does exist & the conservation done on an area flooded by a much needed dam give additional clues, but no real answers.
The farmers that have farmed the area seem to give reverence to the preservation of the historical structures there. The tourists who visit unsupervised have done more damage than any exploration or farming by locals.
