120 years ago on June 8, 1906, President Teddy Roosevelt signed the Antiquities Act into law. Through this legislation, the U.S. President has the authority to establish national monuments for legal protection of cultural and natural resources of historic or scientific interest on our national public lands.
One sacred, historic place is the reason I do what I do today: Bears Ears National Monument. The canyons, springs, rivers, and forests here are filled with more than 100,000 cultural and archaeological sites significant to the American story, and rooted in the lineages of many Indigenous people today. Popular support for this region and collaborative public land management between Tribal Nations and federal agencies led President Obama to proclaim Bears Ears National Monument in 2016, and President Biden to reinstate national monument protections in 2021. These victories affirmed what I believed all along, that justice, Indigenous liberation, climate change solutions, and respect for la madre tierra come hand in hand.
Over the next 250 years I want the conservation movement to remember the lesson that this story teaches us: listen to Tribes. Those who fought for Shash Jaa’ (Bears Ears in the Diné language) led the way for more collaborative management agreements in the years to come. As a result, more places of historic and scientific interest like Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni-Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument and Sáttítla National Monument are protected for future generations. Among other national monuments, Tribal Nations steward these parts of our homeland.
That’s my national monument story. What’s yours?
Our Parks, Our Monuments, Our Stories is an uplifting storytelling campaign to show love for national parks and national monuments through true, personal stories.
If you believe that love is stronger than hate, please tell your story.
When you speak up about a national monument that matters to you and what you want for its future, you become a positive influence. Your story contribution will help GreenLatinos and our compañeros secure sufficient funding for public lands, equal access for all, leaders we can be proud of, and the opportunity to make a dignified living caring for our public lands.
In honor of 120 years of the Antiquities Act please submit a
- Up-to 1 minute video or
- Up-to 1 minute voice memo or
- Up to 100 word written story
about your favorite national monument memory (or one that’s important to you if you haven’t been) and what you want for this place in the next 250 years. Storytelling tips here.
