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Today, President Trump took his first step to dismantle or shrink national monuments across the country.
Trump issued an executive order directing the Department of the Interior to review over 20 years of national monuments designated under the Antiquities Act. Utah's Bears Ears National Monument will receive special attention.
Since Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke will lead the review process, let's remind him that these national monuments were created with overwhelming public support and must remain protected.
Call 1-202-601-3839 and tell Secretary Zinke that any attempts to revoke or shrink our national monuments is an assault on our historical, cultural, and natural heritage.
The Antiquities Act was signed by President Teddy Roosevelt in 1906 to safeguard and preserve federal lands and cultural and historical sites for all people to enjoy. Since then, 16 presidents have used this authority to protect stunning landscapes, including the Grand Canyon, Acadia, Zion, and Olympic national parks. More recently, the Act has also been used to protect places like Bears Ears -- spanning 1.35 million acres in southeastern Utah and home to centuries worth of cultural artifacts including cliff dwellings, hogans, pictographs, and sites sacred to Native Americans.
Our public lands help define who we are as a nation. Instead of asking which parts of our history and heritage we could eliminate, the Trump administration should be asking how we can make our outdoors reflect the full story of our country.
Help flood Secretary Zinke's office with calls today. Dial 1-202-601-3839, and tell him our public lands must be protected for generations to come.