Ever stared up at a giant sequoia from ground level?
They’re about 260 feet tall and 112 feet around. Some real J.R.R. Tolkien stuff.
But the current administration wants to put an axe to these prehistoric (and endangered) trees by removing their National Monument status, along with 26 other sites (listed below). This could be the first time in the history of the 111-year-old Antiquities Act that monuments have even been under threat of such a reversal.
Given how vital nature is for human health, and how people travel from all over the world (and the country) to visit these sites, the proposal represents, in our humble opinion, nothing short of a massive tragedy. But, as ever, there is something you can do to help prevent it from happening.
Why now?
Because there are small factions within the Republican party that want to see public lands turned over to the private sector. Some states are already doing this, and if you want to see how poorly that’s going, reference these infographics.
What can I do about it?
You can and should file a response with the Department of Interior online, or you can voice your opinion via snail mail:
Monument Review, MS-1530
U.S. Department of the Interior
1849 C Street NW.
Washington, DC 20240
When do I need to do this by?
You have until July 10th to protest, but you only have until May 26th to protest the reversal of Bear’s Ears, a newly anointed monument that just had its status revoked.
Which National Monuments are up for the axe?
These ones:
Rose Atoll Marine National Monument, American Samoa/Pacific Ocean
Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument, Arizona
Ironwood Forest National Monument, Arizona
Sonoran Desert National Monument, Arizona
Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, Arizona
Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, Atlantic Ocean
Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument, California
Carrizo Plain National Monument, California
Giant Sequoia National Monument, California
Mojave Trails National Monument, California
Sand to Snow National Monument, California
San Gabriel Mountains National Monument, California
Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, Colorado
Marianas Trench Marine National Monument, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands/Pacific Ocean
Craters of the Moon National Monument, Idaho
Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, Maine
Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument, Montana
Basin and Range National Monument, Nevada
Gold Butte National Monument, Nevada
Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument, New Mexico
Rio Grande del Norte National Monument, New Mexico
Cascade Siskiyou National Monument, Oregon
Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, Pacific Ocean
Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, Hawaii/Pacific Ocean
Bears Ears National Monument, Utah
Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, Utah
Hanford Reach National Monument, Washington
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