National Monuments of the Biden Administration
As conservationists bid farewell to the administration of
President Biden and get anxious about the incoming administration, it is worth
noting what happened with National Monuments under Biden’s watch. Every President
is permitted by law to create new monuments and alter old ones (with both
expansions and contractions now in the historical record). Here is a press
release that came out in the final days of Joe Biden’s tenure:
“President Biden has now conserved more lands and waters than any President in history and has created the largest corridor of protected lands in the lower 48 states, the Moab to Mojave Conservation Corridor.”
The Antiquities Act
At first glance, it sounds like self-promotion. Let’s do a
“fact check” (to use the phrase du jour). First, what is the Antiquities Act?
It’s been around since 1906, emerging with the signature of Theodore Roosevelt,
the most conservation-conscious president in history. It allows the President
to protect land from development, acting quickly and decisively to protect
things treasured by the people. Congress often gets bogged down in debate over
land use while archeological treasures are compromised. Presidents have the
power to just make it so, quickly, and it is often done near the end of the
four-year term. I was surprised to find that the original purpose of the Act
was to protect ancient Native American sites from looting. Over time, the use
of the Act expanded into the designation of land for its scenic beauty,
wilderness characteristics, and wildlife habitat.
An outstanding example was Bandelier National Monument in New Mexico. The archeologist Adolph Bandelier explored the area extensively in the 1880s, when native American pueblos were already well established nearby. Bandelier realized that there were ruins of sites dating back thousands of years, some with intact pottery. Hispanic settlers made use of year-round water and timber in the 1700s, and their trails are still visible today. Bandelier lobbied for protection, and segregationist President Wilson (ugh – I wish it were someone else) created the Monument in 1916. I came to know the place well, since it has great habitat for birds, which was protected along with the Native American ruins. Over time it was expanded to add fantastic canyons and the Valles Caldera National Preserve, and it is now a candidate for National Park status.
Our national parks are a reservoir for our spirits – memory palaces made of sandstone, granite, a sea of grass – and they spark something in us that is both uniquely and divinely human. We remember who we are, and who we are not. And we remember in our national parks where the source of our true power lies: in the land. – Terry Tempest Williams
Along with Bandelier, other National Monuments have become integral parts of my psyche. Arches National Monument was declared in 1929, and upgraded to National Park by Congress in 1972. Grand Canyon was born as a Monument in 1908 (President Roosevelt again) and elevated to park status eleven years later. Joshua Tree came into our consciousness in 1936 (thanks to Franklin D. Roosevelt), and graduated to a park in 1994 (with Democrats in charge in Washington). Chaco Canyon, El Malpais, Gila Cliff Dwellings, Organ Pipe Cactus, Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Chiricahua, Muir Woods are all places engraved in my soul, with stirring vistas and (sometimes) remote and quiet outposts that renew one’s understanding of natural places. I still hope to see Devil’s Tower, Giant Sequoia, and many others before I leave this earth. They may not all be parks, but have almost equal ability to inspire.
Presidents Carter, Clinton, Obama, George W. Bush all
designated Monuments in my lifetime, as did fourteen others. (Sadly, Presidents
Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and Nixon did not leave their marks on the natural
landscape.) So what is Biden’s record?
Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni – Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument in Arizona
From the NPS History site:
“For hundreds of years and likely much longer, Indigenous
Peoples used trails to access sacred or important sites in surrounding areas.
These pathways can still be seen on the landscape, and in many cases they
continue to be actively used. There are many physical remnants of human
habitation at Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni—Ancestral Footprints of the Grand
Canyon National Monument, including pottery and lithic sites containing stone
tools that may be more than 10,000 years old.” Here and below, I will quote advocacy
groups that have worked so hard to celebrate, preserve, and protect these
places.
Avi Kwa Ame National Monument in Nevada
“The entire area is considered sacred by ten Yuman speaking tribes as well as the Hopi and Southern Paiute. For the Yuman tribes, the area is tied to their creation, cosmology, and well-being. Spirit Mountain, called Avi Kwa Ame by the Mojave Tribe, is located on the eastern boundary of the Monument. It is designated a Traditional Cultural Property on the National Register of Historic Places in recognition of its religious and cultural importance.”
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| Map of Avi Kwa Ame |
Camp Hale – Continental Divide National Monument in Colorado
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| Camp Hale National Monument, Colorado |
“Camp Hale is the birthplace of the 10th Mountain Division and is largely responsible for Colorado's ski industry and many modern climbing techniques and gear. Soldiers in the 10th Mountain Division were trained in climbing, backcountry skiing, and mountaineering on trails and mountains that are still popular among outdoor recreationists today.”
Castner Range National Monument in Texas
“Castner Range is a mountainous 7,081 acres located between city neighborhoods and Franklin Mountains State Park in the majority [Hispanic] community of El Paso, Texas. Renowned for its annual display of blooming Mexican Yellow Poppies, Castner Range contains artifacts and petroglyphs dating back 12,000 years. Castner Range has significant ancient rock imagery sites, ancient cultural deposits, and historic military sites.”
National Historic sites:
The Biden administration also established National Historic
sites. Although there is little or no natural history significance, I think
these also reflect positively on Biden as one who is trying to remember our checkered
history of dealing with our own people.
Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument in Illinois and Mississippi
“The sites associated with Emmett’s murder, his open casket funeral, and the subsequent “trial of the century” in which two of Emmett’s murderers were acquitted illustrate how racial tensions in Mississippi spurred a nationwide movement for civil rights–including inspiring the Emmett Till generation. These sites are critical resources for scholarly study of these historic events and of their connection to a national movement.”
Springfield 1908 Race Riot National Monument in Illinois
“The properties involved, owned by the City of Springfield and St. John’s Hospital, were donated to the National Park Foundation and subsequently deeded to the National Park Service, ensuring that the properties entered the national park service seamlessly and collaboratively.”
Frances Perkins National Monument in Maine
“Frances Perkins, FDR’s Secretary of Labor and the first
woman to serve as a cabinet secretary, was the driving force behind the New
Deal…. The Frances Perkins National Monument sits on a
fifty-seven-acre saltwater farm in Newcastle, Maine. This monument is a
tangible reminder that America is intended to be a vast homestead for all its
people, a lively household for one and all, and that concern for the common
good should govern our life together.”
Carlisle Federal Indian Boarding School National Monument in Pennsylvania
“As the flagship Native American boarding school, the Carlisle School held thousands of Native children separated from their families, yet it represents just a small fraction of these stories. The Biden administration’s hard work and careful collaboration with Tribal leaders on this sensitive issue recently culminated in a formal apology from the United States government regarding Native American boarding schools."
National Monuments expanded by Biden
San Gabriel Mountains and Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monuments in California
“Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument peaks at over 7,000 ft above sea level, providing habitat for a large variety of threatened and endangered species, ranging from the northern spotted owl to Northern California steelhead fish. You might even spot (hopefully from a safe location) black bears, mountain lions, and condors on your visit!”
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| San Gabriel Mountains and Beryessa Snow Mountain National Monuments |
Bill Clinton and Barack Obama made important decisions to protect land in southern Utah. Sadly, President Trump chose to roll them back. President Biden has reaffirmed the country’s commitment to these places by expanding them.
Bears Ears National Monument and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
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The magnificent view from Grandview Point, Canyonlands National Park. My photo in 1991. This is not the new Bears Ears NM, but it is adjacent to it. |
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| Bears Ears National Monument in southern Utah |
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| Grand Staircase - Escalante National Monument in southern Utah, in yellow |
“The new monument withdrew Lockhart Basin, adjacent to Canyonlands National Park, from future energy leasing. Nearly 100,000 archaeological and cultural sites were covered by the proclamation, including House on Fire and Moon House ruins. The original Bears Ears proposal was led by the Navajo, Hopi, Zuni, Ute Mountain Ute, and Ute Indian Tribes.“
National Marine Sanctuaries and a new national estuarine research reserve
“This national monument encompasses ecosystems in and around
three undersea canyons — Oceanographer, Lydonia, and Gilbert, each deeper than
the Grand Canyon — and four undersea extinct volcanoes, known as “seamounts” —
Bear, Mytilus, Physalia, and Retriever. These four seamounts are the only ones
found in U.S. Atlantic waters. Seamounts are nutrient-rich environments:
biological oases of marine life that punctuate the desert expanse of the deep
sea floor. Within this area, upwellings of deep, cold water bring nutrients to
the lower echelons of the food chain: plankton, schools of squid, and forage
fish. The concentration in turn nurtures the behemoths of the ocean, including
sharks, sperm whales and the North Atlantic right whale, which are all abundant
in these waters.”
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| Northeast Canyons and Seamounts off the northeast coast of the US |
Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary off the central California coast
“The Sanctuary will prohibit new oil drilling and mining
within its boundaries and support climate solutions by promoting the health of
kelp forests and other ocean habitats that serve a host of vital ecosystem
functions, including carbon storage. It will protect a globally significant
ecological transition zone that is home to a wide variety of wildlife,
including many at-risk species such as snowy plovers, southern sea otters,
leatherback sea turtles, black abalone, and blue whales.”
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| Chumash National Marine Sanctuary, off the California coast |
In total, Biden’s administration established ten new
National Monuments. They restored three monuments and expanded two. That’s a
damned good record that they can be proud of, and that we can all celebrate.
Now, I argue for a system of National Parks that is ten times the size that we
currently have (with an administrative budget to match). Let us resolve to make
this the first step toward that goal.
The idea of the national parks is really based on the idea of the commons; the community. And they are an idea based on generosity, not just for our own species, but for all species with whom we share this planet. As a nation we have said in profoundly original terms, "We value wild nature in place. We are of this place." It is our own declaration of independence and interdependence. -- Terry Tempest Williams
Where to find more information
“National Monuments and the Antiquities Act,” by Carol Hardy
of the Congressional Research Service, May 2024, Document R41330.
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