Letter to President Barack Obama sharing PLF views of the
Antiquities Act
April 9, 2010
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April 9, 2010 President Barack Obama Dear Mr. President: We are writing to you to add our suggestions to a recent letter from the conservation and historic preservation communities encouraging you to defend the President’s authority to designate national monuments under the Antiquities Act of 1906. The Public Lands Foundation is an organization whose members are predominately retired former employees of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Our members have had many years of experience administering the Antiquities Act during their Federal careers. President Clinton, during his presidency, established fourteen national monuments to be managed by the BLM using the authority of the Antiquities Act. In order to appropriately administer this responsibility he established the National Landscape Conservation System within the BLM; this System was legislatively authorized in last year’s Omnibus Public Lands Management Act. The first two Directors of the National Landscape Conservation System are active members of the Public Lands Foundation. Recently, there have been a number of proposals put forth to limit the President’s authority to designate national monuments under the provisions of the Antiquities Act. We support the position of the conservation and historic preservation communities in opposing those suggestions. The Act has been, and remains, an important law used to protect “historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, and other objects of historic or scientific interest that are situated upon the lands owned or controlled by the Government of the United States.” These proposals have been in response to a leaked draft document stating ”Many nationally significant landscapes are worthy of inclusion in the NLCS.” The document goes on to say “...further evaluations should be completed prior to any final decision, including an assessment of public and Congressional support.” We agree with this approach. An open process whereby the views of the American public and its elected representatives are taken into account would be far preferable to a surprise designation done behind closed doors. The Public Lands Foundation stands ready to participate in such an evaluation and to provide recommendations to your administration. The document goes on to list fourteen areas that “may be good candidates for National Monument designation under the Antiquities Act.” Most, if not all, of these lands are Federal lands in the National System of Public Lands which are managed by the BLM for their multiple use values. BLM works carefully to balance landscape protection, cultural values, and public uses against the Nation’s needs for energy and other natural resources. The fact that such public land areas continue to contain special values is a tribute to what the BLM has done to protect them. We strongly support the Antiquities Act and the authority it grants to the President. We also believe the lands contained within the National Landscape Conservation System are an important part of the BLM’s overall multiple use mandate. The Antiquities Act is an important tool for the conservation and management of our public lands and will continue to enable us to leave a public lands legacy for our children. Sincerely yours, /s/ Henri Bisson
Henri Bisson, President cc: Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar |