When U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland recommended last month that full protections be restored to three national monuments in the wilderness of Utah’s red rock country and off the New England coast, conservationists expected quick action. No drawn-out negotiations with Congress were needed; President Joe Biden could undo former President Donald Trump’s actions reducing the size of the protected lands and opening them up to development with the stroke of a pen.

Turns out, bringing back environmental protections takes time.

“It’s easy to tear things down, but takes longer to put them back together,” says Steve Bloch, the legal director for the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance. “I expect the administration is doing its due diligence to make sure the restoration