Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities


** The Antiquities Act: even more relevant 116 years later
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Thursday, June 9, 2022
Moon House in Bears Ears National Monument, BLM/Flickr ([link removed])

Wednesday marked the 116th anniversary of the Antiquities Act, one of the most important conservation laws in American history. Today, just as when Teddy Roosevelt signed the law in 1906, a dysfunctional Congress has left sensitive public lands at risk of development, which is why Congress gave the president the authority to declare new national monuments.

As CWP's Kate Groetzinger points out ([link removed]) , the logging industry and local politicians threw a fit when Roosevelt designated Olympic National Monument in 1909. Today the monument, now a national park, brings in over three million visitors a year, supports 3,000 jobs, and contributes over $300 million to the state's economy every year. Similar stories have played out ([link removed]) from the Grand Canyon to Alaska.

Using presidential power to protect national monuments has taken on new urgency in light of the intertwined climate and biodiversity crises. President Biden recognized the need for bold action in his America the Beautiful ([link removed]) plan when he set a goal of protecting 30 percent of America's lands and waters by 2030. But he has yet to use the most powerful tool at his disposal—the Antiquities Act—to designate a new national monument.

On the anniversary, supporters of two proposed monuments, Avi Kwa Ame ([link removed]\) in Nevada, and Castner Range ([link removed]) in Texas, reminded President Biden of his pledge and urged him to use the Antiquities Act, just as Teddy Roosevelt intended.


** New Mexico steps up with 54,000-acre protection
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Tribes and conservation groups have partnered with state and federal officials to open up public access to 54,000 acres of land ([link removed]) west of Albuquerque. The purchase includes two adjoining properties near Mount Taylor, a site that is sacred to several New Mexico tribes and Pueblos. Over the next five years, the land will be transferred to the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish for management.

“Prior to becoming privately owned, the area in and around the L Bar ranch was used by the Pueblo for traditional cultural and ceremonial purposes,” said Acoma Pueblo Governor Randall Vicente ([link removed]) . “Pilgrimage trails are still evident along with geographic line of sight connections to the Sandia and Manzano mountains. The Pueblo is hopeful that once the purchase is completed an ethnographic study can be conducted to identify areas, locations, and sites of cultural significance.”
Quick hits


** BLM, Forest Service back Grand Canyon uranium mining ban
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E&E News ([link removed]) | KNAU ([link removed])


** NM state land acquisition brings sacred sites out of private ownership
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Albuquerque Journal ([link removed]) | New Mexico Political Report ([link removed])


** Alaska Native tribe nominates Pribilof Islands as national marine sanctuary
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Associated Press ([link removed])


** Nebraska’s ‘canal to nowhere’ would siphon water from Colorado
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High Country News ([link removed])


** Opinion: Why is almost no one planning for a future without the Colorado River?
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Arizona Republic ([link removed])


** Damage estimates climb from massive New Mexico wildifre
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Albuquerque Journal ([link removed])


** Indigenous farmer seeks solutions in drought-plagued Oregon
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Associated Press ([link removed])


** Opinion: It’s time to hold oil and gas companies accountable on public lands
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Colorado Newsline ([link removed])
Quote of the day
” Every single technology that's ever existed started as unaffordable, got adopted, and became more affordable. So it's my job as an investor now to find the companies that will give you these technologies to buy. And then it's your job as a person who can afford to buy it, to buy it. And that's how we drive real change.”
—Molly Wood, venture capital managing partner and former journalist, Arizona Republic ([link removed])
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** @ShoshoneNF ([link removed])
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Public lands are for everyone. We welcome recreationists and visitors from all backgrounds to our national forests and grasslands. #pridemonth2022 ([link removed])

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