Viewpoint Roosevelt’s Antiquities Act at Risk
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merica’s landscape heritage is not immune to President Trump’s ‘populist’ crusade. His latest target is President Theodore Roosevelt’s 1906 Antiquities Act. This Act gave authority to Roosevelt to designate National Monuments on federally owned land, much of which was and is in the western US. An avid conservationist, Roosevelt grew impatient with parochial resistance to protecting places and landscapes as irreplaceable parts of America’s cultural legacy. Under the Act, with a bold stroke of a pen, presidents could quickly protect significant sites and landscapes, for appreciation and enjoyment by millions of people. Roosevelt used the Act to protect 18 monuments. His successors have designated another 152. For many, designation has been the first step toward National Park status. Now Trump seems determined to eviscerate the Act and open federal land within National Monuments to more mining, fossil-fuel and timber production, and ranching. This threatens millions of acres of archaeological sites, irreplaceable historic and scenic landscapes, biological treasures, geological landmarks and fragile marine reserves. Undermining the Act by requiring prior Congressional and state approval for National Monuments would make nature conservation and cultural site preservation much more difficult. Major shrinkage of designated monuments would give future anti-conservation ideologues a major weapon. Battling this threat has brought conservation and historic preservation groups together to speak for the 96 per cent of Americans who favour publicly owned and accessible conservation lands and historic landmarks. Supporters range from garden clubs and landscape architects keen to preserve the horticultural riches and designed elements of the monuments to Native American tribes, for whom some of the sites are sacred. More than 2.4 million public comments have been submitted to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s review of 27 monuments. In August 2017 Zinke recommended to Trump that six recent designations be reduced in size and four undergo management changes, mostly to accommodate industry. In November, the President trumpeted his initial decision: to roll back two of the largest monuments, both in southern Utah: Bears Ears by 85 per cent and Grand Staircase/Escalante by 45 per cent. Details of Secretary Zinke’s remaining recommendations are awaited. The Natural Resources Defense Council, one of the strongest US environmental watchdogs, is suing on the grounds that the President lacks authority to undo previous monument designations. Many other organisations will support these suits, which are likely to occupy federal courts for years. Current attempts by the Republican Congress to weaken the 1906 Act and to confirm Trump’s decisions by legislative vote will outrage those who value the Act. We must hope that these suits bring delay beyond the 2018 Congressional elections, which could leave Trump with less support for his anti-conservation goals. Wesley T. Ward, Former Conservation Director, Trustees of Reservations, Massachusetts
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HISTORIC GARDENS Review
Issue 37
