This week, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA), the leading voice for North America’s public lands, waters, and wildlife, condemned a newly-introduced bill that threatens critical conservation efforts under the guise of restoring authority that Congress already enjoys.
The Ending Presidential Overreach on Public Lands Act, introduced by Representatives Celeste Maloy (R-UT) and Mark Amodei (R-NV), seeks to strip the president of the authority granted under the Antiquities Act to protect public lands through national monument designations. This effort undermines a law that has safeguarded some of America’s most iconic landscapes — and associated hunting and fishing opportunities — for more than a century.
Read ‘National Monuments: A Hunting and Fishing Perspective.’
Kaden McArthur, Director of Policy and Government Relations for BHA, issued the following statement in response:
“Since signed into law by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906, the Antiquities Act has been used by nine Republican and nine Democratic presidents to protect natural, historical, and scientific resources on our federal public lands. The ability for the president to designate national monuments is more necessary than ever as gridlock in Congress and ideological opposition to conservation of public lands makes it increasingly difficult to pass legislation to protect landscapes from encroaching development and other threats. Hunters, anglers, and the American public would be better served if Congress worked to advance meaningful protections for our public lands and waters, rather than challenging the long-standing authority of the president to do so.”
The Antiquities Act is a critical tool to establish national monuments that conserve large landscapes, secure vital fish and wildlife habitat, and safeguard traditional hunting and angling opportunities on public lands and waters. As early as 1908, the Antiquities Act was used by Roosevelt to designate more than 800,000 acres of public land as the Grand Canyon National Monument to protect the region from mining claims.
BHA has consistently advocated for America’s national monuments system and the judicious use of the Antiquities Act to permanently conserve important lands and waters. Central to BHA’s advocacy is ensuring that monument designations adhere to specific principles, including a locally driven and transparent process, science-based habitat management, and the preservation of existing hunting and fishing opportunities. BHA and a consortium of groups and businesses released a report that outlines these principles and how national monuments can sustain important habitat and traditional hunting and fishing access. Read ‘National Monuments: A Hunting and Fishing Perspective.’
Kaden McArthur is Director of Policy and Government Relations for Backcountry Hunters and Anglers