Citizens Petition President Obama for Additional National Monuments

Over 1,500 Signatures Delivered by WildEarth Guardians to the White House

Conservationists have delivered President Barak Obama a thank you letter from over 1,500 citizens for designation of National Monuments and are pressing for more in his second term. A petition signed by the citizens thanked the President for his recent designation of the 4,726-acre Chimney Rock National Monument in Southwest Colorado, but urged additional and larger designations under the Antiquities Act.

President Obama has used this executive power just four times to confer national monument status on lands worthy of the designation and in need of special protection.  Designated in the President’s first term are the Chimney Rock National Monument in Colorado, the César E. Chávez and Fort Ord National Monuments in California and Fort Monroe National Monument in Virginia.

“President Obama has only used his powers under the Antiquities Act four times in his first term.” Said Bryan Bird, with WildEarth Guardians. “We are calling on him to create a lasting conservation legacy with larger and more National Monument designations over the next four years.”

Other Presidents have used the Antiquities Act to create a lasting conservation legacy that we can all be proud of.  For example, President Bill Clinton employed the Act at least 21 times to designate national monuments, including the nearly two million-acre Grand Staircase Escalante-National Monument.

“Our natural heritage in the United States deserves the President’s attention.” Bird said. “With his signature millions of acres of pristine widlands in the west can be preserved like the lands surrounding Canyonlands National Park.”

The 1,500 plus citizens encouraged Obama to apply this presidential power both more regularly as well as more ambitiously to create vastly larger monuments in your second term. For example, there are opportunities and strong support for a designation of Canyon lands National Monument in UT, the El Rio Grande Del Norte National Monument and Otero Mesa National Monument in NM.

See the letter sent to President Obama and 1,565 signatures


 

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