By Carmichael Dominguez and Julian Gonzales | Jun 5, 2021 Updated Jul 11, 2022
One hundred fifteen years ago Tuesday, June 8, then-President Theodore Roosevelt signed into law the Antiquities Act, allowing himself and future presidents to permanently protect certain unique and special public landscapes where we hunt, fish, farm, ranch, connect with and honor our land-based culture and heritage.
Baseless arguments have sometimes been invented against national monuments. Opponents try to leverage the notion that national monuments curb local economies, prohibit public input, or strip away the land from grazers, farmers and hunters. The exact opposite is true. These designations actually permanently codify traditional land uses, guaranteeing these uses remain on the landscape for future generations.