Teddy's legacy in crosshairs

Browns Canyon: Monumental 

By Randy Scholfield

Teddy Roosevelt is spinning in his grave.

President Roosevelt was the conservative driving force behind passage of the Antiquities Act, which gave Congress and the president the authority to create new national monuments.

Roosevelt loved our national lands, and he understood that some wild lands should be kept the way they are  for the use and enjoyment of all Americans.

We can’t keep taking our public lands and the fantastic fishing and hunting opportunities they offer for granted—because some misguided firebrands and their friends in Congress are hell-bent on taking them away from us.

The latest salvo comes from Sen. Mike Lee of Utah, who recently put forth amendment 3023 to the Senate energy bill that is up for a vote on the Senate floor on Tue., Feb. 2. Under the amendment, all future national monument designations by a president would last for only three years—they’d be temporary—unless BOTH Congress and the state legislature in question also approved the monument.

That would, for all intents and purposes, kill the Antiquities Act as we know it, rendering it all but useless.

Think about it: Given the dysfunctional, hyper-partisan nature of Congress these days, how likely is it that they’re going to join hands and approve any national monument proposal?  

The chances are zip.

National monuments are one of America’s most successful conservation tools. Like any tools, they have a wrong and right use. Most modern presidents have established national monuments that have the strong support of local communities and state leaders only after Congress would not act on homegrown solutions for public lands – now some want to double down on Congress’s unwillingness to see conservation initiatives through to fruition.   Furthermore, the president’s authority to create national monuments is kept in check by public opinion and Congress’ own authority to create or abolish national monuments.

Last year, President Obama created the Browns Canyon National Monument in Colorado to finally give lasting protection to this special place and its Gold Medal waters. For two decades, local citizens had been trying to get Browns protected, but Congress dithered, delayed, and wouldn’t act, despite overwhelming local support.

When Congress fails to act again and again, despite strong local support, the Antiquities Act gives local communities and states some recourse.

This isn’t the first time that some lawmakers have put the Antiquities Act in their crosshairs. But a bipartisan group of western senators has stood up for our public lands. Voting on a 2015 bill that would have weakened presidential authority to designate monuments, Republican Sen. Cory Gardner of Colorado voted to uphold the Antiquities Act, although many Republicans did not.

As sportsmen, we need to give a shout-out to Sen. Gardner and politicians of either party who are taking a commonsense stand for public lands. And we need to give holy hell to those who are out to take these lands away from anglers, hunters and all Americans. Call Sen. Gardner’s office at (202) 224-5941, and tell his office that you appreciate his support for the Antiquities Act, and urge him to oppose this bad amendment, 3023.

To learn more about why sportsmen value national monuments, read Trout Unlimited and Backcountry Hunters and Angler’s new report, “National Monuments: A Sportsmen’s Perspective.”

Randy Scholfield is TU’s communications director for the Southwest region.