By John Waters
In 1906, the Congress of the Unites States passed the Antiquities Act, which was then signed into law by President Theodore Roosevelt.
The Act gave Presidents the ability to protect federal land by executive order. It also granted the federal government the authority to protect cultural resources on its land. The Act established the first national preservation policy for the United States.
In 1908, when Roosevelt used this law to create Grand Canyon National Monument, he eloquently said, “Let this great wonder of nature remain as it now is….You cannot improve on it. But what you can do is keep it for your children, your children’s children, and all who come after you, as the one great sight which every American should see.”
Ever since then, the Antiquities Act has been used to protect great wonders of the American landscape, designating them as national monuments. President Reagan used it to establish the Mount Saint Helens National Volcanic Monument; President Clinton created the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument. Most recently, President Obama has used this great law to protect several sites, including the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument in New Mexico, near the headwaters of the Rio Grande river; it offers stunning scenery, recreation, and a dense collection of petroglyphs.
The act also gave the federal government control over archeological resources on federal land. It continues to offer legal protection against looting and vandalism.
Unfortunately, the Antiquities Act is under attack in Congress. Recently, the U.S. House of Representatives passed bill H.R. 1459, introduced by Representative Rob Bishop (R-Utah), which would make it far more difficult for a President to create a national monument. Thankfully, Representative Pete Gallego (D-TX) voted against this Draconian measure. Although the bill is unlikely to pass in the Senate, further attacks on our national heritage are looming.
Washington-based political website The Hill recently reported Representative Pete Olson (R-TX) said he favors oil and gas drilling in national parks, including Big Bend National Park. The notion of oil and gas drilling Big Bend brought this response from Gallego: “As the U.S. Congressman for the Park, my goal is to enhance, protect and preserve Big Bend National Park for generations and years to come. May our kids and grandkids enjoy the Big Bend’s incredible beauty as much as my friends and I did.”
Kudos to Congressman Gallego for his swift and wise commentary.
We here are blessed to live between two great national parks, Big Bend and Guadalupe Mountains. And we’ve got Fort Davis National Historic Site as well. All are rich in cultural resources and spectacular scenery.
As we await the fate of the Antiquities Act in the Senate, the words of Roosevelt ring true: “It is not what we have that will make us a great nation; it is the way in which we use it.”
Let us not forget the resources the Antiquities Act protects and will continue to protect. Let us not forget the Grand Canyon National Monument, now a national park, established by this Act. Roosevelt was right when he advised that every American should see the Grand Canyon. Perhaps each member of the House of Reps and the Senate should spend a day at the awesome canyon. This would be money well spent to help each official reflect upon the tangible legacy of the Antiquities Act and what it represents before voting to modify the legislation that has served the nation so well.
If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it!
