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Two years into President Joe Biden's first term, a list of potential Antiquities Act monument designations is coming into focus. At the top of the list is Camp Hale-Continental Divide National Monument, which Colorado state leaders are calling on Biden to protect. The monument is based on legislation filed by Colorado U.S. Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper and U.S. Congressman Joe Neguse that aimed to protect 400,000 acres in the state—including historic Camp Hale, where soldiers trained for World War II, near Vail. The legislation passed the House but stalled in the Senate, leading to the call for Biden to protect the monument using executive authority. Veterans, locals, and conservationists rallied over the weekend to build momentum for the designation, while the Washington Post has reported the designation is imminent.
“Once I got out of the military, I was looking for a different way to cope, to heal my wounds of war—both physical and mental,” veteran Bradley Noone said at the rally. “I found the area around Camp Hale and it literally saved my life. So, piling that on top of the historic value, I think (establishing the national monument) is a no-brainer.”
Momentum is building for other Antiquities Act designations as well. Communities in southern Nevada, west Texas, and northern California are calling on Biden to pick up his pen and protect the proposed Avi Kwa Ame and Castner Range national monuments, in addition to expanding the existing Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument. All three proposals enjoy strong local support.
The Antiquities Act is a key tool in reaching Biden's goal of protecting 30 percent of U.S. land and water by 2030—as well as in fighting ongoing efforts by lawmakers to erode protections for public lands. It's also a way for Biden to prove he's listening to Western communities. A Center for Western Priorities poll found in May that 66 percent of voters in four Western swing states—Arizona, Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico—think the Biden administration has not done enough to designate and protect new public lands and monuments. It's time for Biden to invoke the Antiquities Act and change that perception.
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Everything that’s not a national park or wildlife refuge or congressionally designated wilderness, a state would be allowed to open up for drilling and leasing... It’s still incredibly out there, but is sort of cloaked in something that sounds a little bit more innocuous—until you lift the hood.”
