Twenty-seven of America’s National Monuments spanning over more than 11 million acres of land and about 760 million acres of ocean are threatened by a pair of Executive Orders signed by President Trump last week.
As Trump laid out in his remarks April 26th, he’s looking to end “another egregious abuse of federal power,” put “states back in charge” and open up now-protected areas to “tremendously positive things” — whatever that means.
On Friday, the Interior Department, one of two Agencies tasked with reviewing Monument Designations and expansions made under the Antiquities Act of 1906, released a final list of the areas that will receive a second look.
The agency also applauded itself for its decision to allow Public participation. “A public comment period is not required for monument designations under the Antiquities Act; however, Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke and President Trump both strongly believe that local input is a critical component of federal land management,” the Agency said.
The Administration’s implication is that the Public wasn’t involved in the initial designation process, something stakeholders of numerous Monuments dispute.
Take, for example, Katahdin Woods and Waters, an 87,000-acre National Monument in Maine. It is the only Monument on the Interior’s list that does not meet the Executive Order’s initial Criteria for review, which states that a Monument be 100,000 acres or larger and established after Jan. 1st, 1996.
In a category all its own, Katahdin is being reviewed specifically to determine whether the designation “was made without adequate public outreach and coordination with relevant stakeholders,” the Interior said.
Lucas St. Clair, whose family donated the Land that is now Katahdin, said that the Designation came “after more than four years of public outreach and community input, including countless one-on-one meetings, community forums, debates and town halls.” “More than 72 percent of Mainers say they support the monument,” he said in a statement. “I’m confident that a fair review will demonstrate how important public input was to helping improve the monument idea.”
The Interior Department’s Public Comment period will kick off later this month. Comments relating to Bears Ears National Monument, a controversial 1.35 million-acre area in Utah, will be required to be submitted within 15 days of a Public Notice. Comments relating to all other Monuments must be submitted within 60 days of that Notice.
Interior Department Secretary Zinke said in statement that his Agency is “the steward of America’s greatest treasures,” and part of that job is “being a good neighbor and listening to the American people who we represent.” The Public Comment Process, he added, “finally gives a voice to local communities and states when it comes to Antiquities Act monument designations.”
Several of the Monuments on the list, including Bears Ears and Gold Butte, were designated by former President Obama. During his Presidency, Obama also greatly expanded two Marine National Monuments, Papahanaumokuakea and Pacific Remote Islands. The acreages listed by Interior in its release for those two Marine Monuments do not account for those Obama-era expansions.
Here’s the 27 National Monuments under the Trump Administration’s review:
Basin and Range National Monument, Nevada
Bears Ears National Monument, Utah
Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument, California
Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, Colorado
Carrizo Plain National Monument, California
Cascade Siskiyou National Monument, Oregon
Craters of the Moon National Monument, Idaho
Giant Sequoia National Monument, California
Gold Butte National Monument, Nevada
Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument, Arizona
Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, Utah
Hanford Reach National Monument, Washington
Ironwood Forest National Monument, Arizona
Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, Maine
Marianas Trench Marine National Monument, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands/Pacific Ocean
Mojave Trails National Monument, California
Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, Atlantic Ocean
Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument, New Mexico
Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, Pacific Ocean
Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, Hawaii/Pacific Ocean
Rio Grande del Norte National Monument, New Mexico
Rose Atoll Marine National Monument, American Samoa/Pacific Ocean
Sand to Snow National Monument, California
San Gabriel Mountains National Monument, California
Sonoran Desert National Monument, Arizona
Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument, Montana
Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, Arizona
NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker
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