Public lands offer the best place for recreation. Speak up and protect them
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Version 0 of 1. Signed into law by Theodore Roosevelt in 1906, the Antiquities Act has been used by 16 presidents – eight Republicans and eight Democrats – to safeguard millions of acres of exceptional public lands and waters, including outstanding fish and wildlife habitat that provides some of the best hiking, camping, floating, hunting and fishing in the country. On 26 April, however, Donald Trump signed an executive order mandating the review of 27 national monuments nationwide, launching an unprecedented reassessment by the interior department. The president’s action set in motion a process that could directly affect the future management of 11.3 million acres of public lands and waters – places currently withdrawn from resource extraction. Many monuments provide high-quality hunting and angling found nowhere else and support invaluable tracts of habitat that host robust fish and wildlife populations. American sportsmen and women support judicious use of the Antiquities Act to permanently conserve important lands and waters, and we have expressed concern about this review. And we can’t help but feel that there’s more to the administration’s decision than meets the eye. Efforts to reduce in size or otherwise diminish US national monuments could harm fish and wildlife, eliminate recreational activities and negatively affect cherished American landscapes. The president’s announcement could jeopardize key areas of habitat on public lands and the world-class recreation opportunities that go with them. It also opens the door to unproductive dialogues that distract us from enhancing management of our shared lands and waters. Our national monuments play a key role in sustaining America’s robust recreation economy and our outdoor heritage. Recently designated monuments, such as Rio Grande del Norte in New Mexico and Berryessa Snow Mountain in California, were conserved through a locally driven, collaborative process that included strong support from a wide range of stakeholders, including business owners and sportsmen. Not only do they help power our country’s $886bn outdoors-dependent economy, they also provide places to enjoy solitude and challenge. For example, Upper Missouri River Breaks national monument, located in my home state of Montana, offers world-renowned hunting for elk and other big-game species. We are invested in ensuring that these lands and waters – and the fish and wildlife that inhabit them – will remain under long-term protection. Administration officials, including the interior secretary, Ryan Zinke, are showing a commitment to meeting with members of the public as the review unfolds over the summer. We the people have the chance to offer feedback as these critical decisions are made. While the public comment window on Bears Ears national monument closes Friday (mailed comments must be postmarked by 26 May), citizen input is still being solicited online for the other 26 monuments under review. The deadline to comment is 10 July. Now is the time to make our voices heard on behalf of our waters, fish and wildlife and outdoor traditions. Our hard work to protect some of our most irreplaceable landscapes could be undone if we don’t speak up. And a century-plus legacy of conservation, set in motion by Roosevelt and utilized responsibly by his successors, could be undermined if we don’t take action now. Together, we must urge the Trump administration to maintain quality habitat protections for these important landscapes and uphold the integrity of the Antiquities Act as a tool for ensuring the permanent conservation of public lands and waters. These places are too valuable to be sacrificed, and the squeaky wheel still gets the grease. Make your voice heard today. Public comment on Bears Ears national monument is open from 11 May–26 May on the federal government’s website. Written comments must be postmarked by Friday 26 May and mailed to Monument Review, MS-1530, US Department of the Interior, 1849 C Street NW, Washington, DC 20240. Public comment on the other 26 National Monuments under review must be submitted before 10 July |