Story highlights The decision delays any certainty for Bears Ears

"Interim report" suggests redrawing boundaries, changing designation

Washington (CNN) Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke informed President Donald Trump on Monday that he was delaying his final decision on the controversial Bears Ears National Monument, putting off the final recommendation until later in 2017.

The report, provided to CNN, suggests revising aspects of Bears Ears' boundaries but does not detail where those changes would be made.

In a memo to the President, Zinke says he has produced at "45-day interim report" on the national monument -- as is requested in the executive order Trump signed in April -- and will issue a "more detailed final report" later this year.

"As a result of the review ... I recommend that the Bear Ears National Monument boundary be revised through the use of appropriate authority," Zinke wrote.

The Interior secretary, who most recently was a Republican lawmaker from Montana, goes on to suggest some of Bears Ears be changed from a national monument to a national recreation area or national conservation area, a move that would alter rules governing the land. He also suggests working with Congress to enable Native American tribes to co-manage cultural areas.

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