Love These National Parks? Thank the Antiquities Act, Which Trump Calls "Abusive"

On June 8, 1906, Teddy Roosevelt signed the Antiquities Act. This simple law — just 423 words — granted Roosevelt and all future presidents a new superpower. With the swipe of a pen, a president could proclaim a national monument on federal land that held “historic or scientific interest.”

The Antiquities Act was designed to cut through government bureaucracy. If an area needed protection, the president could quickly protect it.

Over the past 110 years, 16 presidents — 8 Republican, 8 Democrat — have embraced the Antiquities Act, proclaiming more than 150 national monuments. Twenty eight of those monuments later became national parks, including Grand Canyon, Acadia, Grand Teton, Zion, Joshua Tree, and Denali.

Trump Challenges the Antiquities Act

Then, on April 26, 2017, Donald Trump became the first president to challenge the Antiquities Act.

"It's time we ended this abusive practice … this massive federal land grab," he declared. "This should never have happened."

Trump ordered an executive review of 27 national monuments created under the Antiquities Act. The public has until July 9 to comment on the review.

So what, exactly, is the Antiquities Act? And why does it matter?

This infographic explains:

List of National Parks originally protected under the Antiquities Act

Petrified Forest National Park (1906)

Lassen Volcanic National Park (1907)

Grand Canyon National Park (1908)

Pinnacles National Park (1908)

Olympic National Park (1909)

Zion National Park (1909)

Acadia National Park (1916)

Katmai National Park (1918)

Great Basin National Park (1922)

Bryce Canyon National Park (1923)

Carlsbad Caverns National Park (1923)

Glacier Bay National Park (1925)

Arches National Park (1929)

Great Sand Dunes National Park (1932)

Death Valley National Park (1933)

Saguaro National Park (1933)

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (1933)

Dry Tortugas National Park (1935)

Joshua Tree National Park (1936)

Capitol Reef National Park (1937)

Channel Islands National Park (1938)

Grand Teton National Park (1943)

Denali National Park (1978)

Gates of the Arctic National Park (1978)

Kenai Fjords National Park (1978)

Kobuk Valley National Park (1978)

Lake Clark National Park (1978)

Wrangall-St. Elias National Park (1978)

Want to protect the Antiquities Act?

Make your voice heard!

The Department of the Interior is currently seeking public comment on President Trump’s proposed rollback of national monuments created with the Antiquities Act.

The comment period closes July 9, 2017.

Comment here: https://www.regulations.gov/document?D=DOI-2017-0002-0001