Parks Group Stands Up for National Monuments

WASHINGTON – National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) joined more than 450 organizations from across the country today to stand in opposition to President Trump’s executive order to review and possibly rescind national monuments designated under the Antiquities Act.

The Antiquities Act was signed by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906 to safeguard and preserve federal lands and cultural and historic sites for all Americans to enjoy. NPCA and the other organizations signed a letter to members of Congress underscoring the critical role the Antiquities Act has in the protection and preservation of public lands. The groups will deliver the letter to members of Congress today as the House Natural Resources Committee holds a hearing on the Antiquities Act.

Below is a statement by Theresa Pierno, President and CEO, National Parks Conservation Association:

“National parks and monuments are a promise to the American people, that the stories, lands and waters that define who we are as a nation will be protected today and into the future. But the Executive Order recently signed by President Trump undermines and questions one of our nation’s most important tools for protecting these special places, the Antiquities Act.

“These are places that deserve to be safeguarded and stories that deserve to be told. The same Antiquities Act used to protect Bears Ears National Monument and Castle Mountains National Monument was used to protect the Statue of Liberty, Grand Canyon and Muir Woods.

“We cannot let short-sightedness and a heated political atmosphere win out. We must not undo protections for lands and waters that will open them up again to the very same threats they were protected from in the first place. These places, and the generations of people who will visit them, are counting on us. We can’t let them down.”

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About National Parks Conservation Association Since 1919, the nonpartisan National Parks Conservation Association has been the leading voice in safeguarding our national parks. NPCA and its more than 1.2 million members and supporters work together to protect and preserve our nation’s natural, historical, and cultural heritage for future generations. For more information, visit www.npca.org.