Here’s what we wrote:

• Deeply Personal—Why I Care About National Monuments – Just Get Out More
• Five Reasons to Love National Monuments – Nightborn Travel
• A Monumental Fight – AZ Day Hiker
• Rio Grande del Norte National Monument – Nature Tech Family
• Pro Tips: Tommy Caldwell Talks Public Lands – Little Grunts
• In the Heart of the Creek – Mike Off the Map
• Dear Mr President – The Zesty Traveler
• A Monumental Day of Blogging – Parks and Points
• A Monumental Day – West Coast Hiker Girl
• Hands Off Our National Monuments – Campfire Guy
• Celebrating National Monuments For All of Us – Val in Real Life
• Why You Should Be Championing #MonumentsForAll – Inner Compass
• National Monuments: The Bears Ears Debate and How You Can Help – Sun Kissed Hiker
• What is a National Monument & Why Should You Care? – Bearfoot Theory
• Speak Out For Our National Monuments Under Review – Terra Galleria
• Dear Secretary Zinke – Wilderness Within Her
• National Monuments, Public Lands & Wilderness – Southwest Dude
• Public Comment on the National Monument Review – Modern Hiker
• Hikes Across America’s Monumental Day of Blogging – Hikes Across America
• New York National Monuments: What Are They? – Backcountry Petite
• Monuments For All—Help Save Our National Monuments – G Who Travels
• My National Monuments Public Comment & How You Can Submit Your Own – Explore With Heather
• Two Monumental Reasons To Fight: Grand-Staircase Escalante & Bears Ears – The Modern Outdoors
• A Monumental Day For Our Nation – A Gray(t) Adventure
• The Antiquities Act: A Monumental Success – Illuminations from the Attic
• 4 Lesser Known National Monuments and Historic Sites of Arizona – Hiking the Trail

Thank you to everyone who submitted comments during the comment period. Even though we were largely ignored by Sec Zinke in his attack on Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante, the remaining national monuments have been spared—for now, at least.

The post A ‘Monumental’ Day of Blogging appeared first on rscottjones.

I’ve struggled for days to write this post. But nothing I type seems remotely adequate.

Some drafts have been too argumentative. Or too wonky. Others have been downright angry. One was rather melancholy, a sad ode to losing the places you care most about. I’m stumped—there’s really no way to say all that needs to be said. I guess I should start with this simple sentence:

National Monuments are deeply personal to me.

Over the last two decades, I’ve visited most of the places that term has ever graced—from the very first to be designated, Devils Tower, to one of the last, Bears Ears. I’ve backpacked in National Monuments that have been expanded and recast as crown-jewel National Parks, and hiked in National Monuments that have lost their protected status entirely. I’ve camped in obscure national monuments you’ve never heard of, and navigated through crowds of tourists to gaze upon the most famous of vistas. I haven’t been to all of them—not quite yet—but I will. I’ve been inspired by too many to ever stop.

But this post really isn’t about any of those experiences.

Nor will this post argue policy, or point out the infuriating inaccuracies and bald-faced lies that we’ve heard from monument opponents. It won’t detail the troubled legality of Trump’s national monument review, or recount why the whole thing has been an utter sham, or explain the economic value of protected lands to rural communities. I won’t lament the short-sightedness of this administration or the lasting scars they can cause. I could refute for hours the arguments proffered by opponents, dazzle you with charts and maps, or spellbind you with the words of those inspired by these treasured places. I could stir your very soul with photographs and video.

Instead, I’ll share a few glimmers of what I saw while working on national monuments over the last 12 years—the personal side of it. The full tale is, as you’d imagine, far too long to recount here today, and so is the list of characters involved. This will be but a brief glimpse into that world.

When I see national monuments, I don’t just see amazing landscapes that protect our natural and cultural heritage. Because of my involvement over the years, I can’t help but see several layers of story deeper. I see the countless people that help make these places even more special than they already are—that make the national monument designation actually mean something.

I see a middle-age woman who fell in love with a single vista, and left her man and corporate job and happy life in the city in order to see that view every night. An unexpected community leader, she’s now involved in everything of note in her tiny gateway community, including personally financing the creation of a volunteer friends group she runs for the adjacent public lands she cares so much about.

I see a retired man who loves exploring, who spends countless weekends traipsing across wind-whipped plateaus in search of pottery sherds and rock art—making a hobby out of expanding our knowledge of the area while populating the database that’s studied by land managers and archaeologists.

I see a government bureaucrat who still remembers the first time he stepped foot in his favorite national monument—two decades before it became one—and couldn’t stop smiling at the scene before him. He endures the tedious parts of his job because of memories like that one. And that tedious work, even when I don’t agree with each of his decisions, brings the promise of the national monument closer to fruition.

I see a graduate student, lending her newfound knowledge and seemingly boundless energy to the board of directors of the national monument’s volunteer friends group. She stumbled into involvement with the group last year, and now spends her Tuesday nights in meetings and her treasured Saturdays—her only day off—coordinating various monitoring and outreach projects.

I see a shy man, who inherently avoids conflict and any remotely political discussion, sitting at his computer in the dim light of his living room. He’s carefully outlining a powerful guest editorial that will be published in the city’s newspaper later that week. Secretly terrified at taking such a public stand on a controversial issue, he pushes on because he believes in the cause at hand. He owes it to his two small grandchildren.

I see the young mother of a toddler, missing bathtime once again so she can sit in the dingy conference room to plot with her colleagues how to recruit more volunteers for next month’s restoration project. She’ll return home, put her daughter to sleep, and spend the next few hours making good on the volunteer tasks she took on during that meeting.

I see a small group of three volunteers practicing soliciting each other for a donation during a fundraising training session, trying to get comfortable with the act of asking for money for a big project they’re involved in. It feels awkward and uncomfortable and nerve-wracking and they repeatedly stumble through the words. They high five each other after finally pulling it off without faltering or nervously fidgeting with their hands.

I see a monument manager remaining steadfast in her willingness to make the right management decision for the land and the American public, even though doing so might sabotage the promotion she desperately wants and definitely deserves. The possible political repercussions are disconcerting, but she signs the document anyway.

I see a guy skipping dinner so he can make it a public comment meeting, wanting to weigh in with a few words about the invasive grass he sees climbing the desert slopes. A former botanist, he tells the audience that the grass could cause great harm to the ecosystem by carrying wildfire to hardy desert plants unequipped to recover from such an event. He’s willing to organize his friends and others to remove it, even by hand if necessary—an activity he’ll end up spearheading for the next seven years.

I see a bleary-eyed staffer from a conservation organization patiently assist, for the fifth time today, a volunteer struggling to understand the arcane intricacies of a thousand-page resource management plan. It’s not what either had in mind when they first got involved. It takes serious resolve and tenacity for them both, but it’s important to the places they each care about, so they persist.

I see a retired art teacher who now finds herself as treasurer for a friends group. She hates the actual work (she hasn’t balanced her own bank account in decades), but took the position because no one else would and the job needed to be done. She now spends her mornings reading blog posts on becoming a better nonprofit treasurer, a habit even her close family is surprised by.

This is just a quick sample of the stories and people involved in these efforts. Individually, they may not seem like extraordinary or especially noteworthy examples. They’re not. But collectively, it’s a truly impressive. People from all walks of life, personal interests and hobbies, skills and experience, religions and political tribes, all sacrificing and working hard to bring the words “national monument” to life. I’ve been up close and personal with these stories for more than a decade and I can’t overstate how inspiring they can be.

It’s not hard to review any of the national monuments of the last 20 years—or just about any of those ever designated for that matter—and see why they’re important places to protect. Unworldly landscapes. Critical wildlife habitat. Stunningly gorgeous scenery. Ancient artifacts and seemingly untouched pueblo ruins. We’ve been granted an amazing inheritance of public lands containing innumerable important resources.

But these places aren’t just scenic destinations you scroll through on your instagram feed. They’re deeply personal and important places to many who have toiled, sacrificed, and sweated to make them worthy additions to that revered inheritance we pass along to future generations. When you see these names on a map—when you visit them—remember that countless people worked to bring that place to you.

Thank you to all those wonderful people.

The post Deeply Personal: Why I Care About National Monuments appeared first on rscottjones.

This authority has been used more than a hundred times by a total of seventeen Presidents—nine Republican and eight Democratic.

Many of the national monuments established under the Antiquities Act have later been expanded, merged, or converted into national parks (asterisks show ones that have retained their national monument status); several have also been renamed over time. While most of the national monuments are managed by the National Park Service, several are managed by other federal agencies, most notably the Bureau of Land Management as part of the National Conservation Lands (I’ve displayed those in italics).

Below is the list of designations. I’ve had the pleasure and good fortune of visiting nearly all of these places. You should too.

Theodore Roosevelt (18)

9/24/06 Devils Tower, WY*
12/8/06 El Morro, NM*
12/8/06 Montezuma Castle, AZ*
12/8/06 Petrified Forest, AZ
3/11/07 Chaco Canyon, NM
5/6/07 Cinder Cone, CA
5/6/07 Lassen Peak, CA
11/16/07 Gila Cliff Dwellings, NM*
12/19/07 Tonto, AZ*
1/9/08 Muir Woods, CA*
1/11/08 Grand Canyon, AZ
1/16/08 Pinnacles, CA*
2/7/08 Jewel Cave, SD*
4/16/08 Natural Bridges, UT*
5/11/08 Lewis and Clark Cavern, MT
9/15/08 Tumacacori, AZ
12/7/08 Wheeler, CO
3/2/09 Mount Olympus, WA

William Howard Taft (10)

3/20/09 Navajo, AZ*
7/12/09 Oregon Caves, OR*
7/31/09 Mukuntuweap, UT
9/21/09 Shoshone Cavern, WY
11/1/09 Gran Quivira (now Salinas Pueblo Missions), NM*
3/23/10 Sitka, AK
5/30/10 Rainbow Bridge, UT*
6/23/10 Big Hole Battlefield, MT
5/24/11 Colorado, CO*
7/6/11 Devils Postpile, CA*

Woodrow Wilson (14)

10/14/13 Cabrillo, CA*
1/31/14 Papago Saguaro, AZ
10/4/15 Dinosaur, UT-CO*
11/30/15 Walnut Canyon, AZ*
2/11/16 Bandelier, NM*
7/8/16 Sieur de Monts, ME
8/9/16 Capulin Mountain (now Capulin Volcano), NM*
10/25/16 Old Kasaan, AK
6/29/17 Verendrye, ND
3/18/18 Zion, UT (incorporated Mukuntuweap NM)
8/3/18 Casa Grande (now Casa Grande Ruins), AZ*
9/24/18 Katmai, AK
12/12/19 Scotts Bluff, NE*
12/12/19 Yucca House, CO*

Warren G. Harding (8)

1/24/22 Lehman Caves, NV
10/14/22 Timpanogos Cave, UT*
10/21/22 Fossil Cycad, SD
1/24/23 Aztec Ruin (now Aztec Ruins), NM*
3/2/23 Hovenweep, UT-CO*
3/2/23 Mound City Group, OH
5/31/23 Pipe Spring, AZ*
6/8/23 Bryce Canyon, UT

Calvin Coolidge (13)

10/25/23 Carlsbad Cave, NM
4/18/24 Chiricahua, AZ*
5/2/24 Craters of the Moon, ID*
10/15/24 Castle Pinckney, SC
10/15/24 Fort Marion (now Castillo de San Marcos), FL*
10/15/24 Fort Matanzas, FL*
10/15/24 Fort Pulaski, GA*
10/15/24 Statue of Liberty, NY*
12/9/24 Wupatki, AZ*
2/26/25 Glacier Bay, AK
2/26/25 Meriwether Lewis, TN
9/5/25 Father Millet Cross, NY
11/21/25 Lava Beds, CA*

Herbert Hoover (9)

4/12/29 Arches, UT
5/11/29 Holy Cross, CO
5/26/30 Sunset Crater (now Sunset Crater Volcano), AZ*
3/17/32 Great Sand Dunes, CO*
12/22/32 Grand Canyon, AZ
1/18/33 White Sands, NM*
2/11/33 Death Valley, CA-NV
3/1/33 Saguaro, AZ
3/3/33 Black Canyon of the Gunnison, CO

Franklin D. Roosevelt (11)

4/26/33 Channel Islands, CA
8/22/33 Cedar Breaks, UT*
1/4/35 Fort Jefferson, FL
8/10/36 Joshua Tree, CA
1/22/37 Zion, UT
4/13/37 Organ Pipe Cactus, AZ*
8/2/37 Capitol Reef, UT
7/16/38 Fort Laramie, WY
5/17/39 Santa Rosa Island, FL
7/24/39 Tuzigoot, AZ*
3/15/43 Jackson Hole, WY

Harry S. Truman (1)

10/25/49 Effigy Mounds, IA*

Dwight D. Eisenhower (2)

7/14/56 Edison Laboratory, NJ
1/18/61 Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, MD-WV

John F. Kennedy (2)

5/11/61 Russell Cave, AL*
12/28/61 Buck Island Reef, VI*

Lyndon B. Johnson (1)

1/20/69 Marble Canyon, AZ

Jimmy Carter (15)

12/1/78 Admiralty Island, AK* (US Forest Service)
12/1/78 Aniakchak, AK*
12/1/78 Becharof, AK
12/1/78 Bering Land Bridge, AK
12/1/78 Cape Krusenstern, AK*
12/1/78 Denali, AK
12/1/78 Gates of the Arctic, AK
12/1/78 Kenai Fjords, AK
12/1/78 Kobuk Valley, AK
12/1/78 Lake Clark, AK
12/1/78 Misty Fjords, AK* (US Forest Service)
12/1/78 Noatak, AK
12/1/78 Wrangell-St. Elias, AK
12/1/78 Yukon-Charley, AK
12/1/78 Yukon Flats, AK

William J. Clinton (21)

9/18/96 Grand Staircase-Escalante, UT* (Bureau of Land Management)
1/11/00 Grand Canyon-Parashant, AZ* (Jointly managed by the National Park Service and the Bureau of Land Management)
1/11/00 Agua Fria, AZ* (Bureau of Land Management)
1/11/00 California Coastal, CA* (Bureau of Land Management)
1/10/00 Pinnacles, CA (Expansion)
4/15/00 Giant Sequoia, CA (Expansion—-US Forest Service)
6/09/00 Hanford Reach, WA (US Fish and Wildlife Service)
6/09/00 Ironwood Forest, AZ* (Bureau of Land Management)
6/09/00 Canyons of the Ancients, CO* (Bureau of Land Management)
6/09/00 Cascade-Siskiyou, OR* (Bureau of Land Management)
7/07/00 President Lincoln and Soldiers’ Home (Armed Forces Retirement Home)
11/9/00 Craters of the Moon, ID* (Expansion of Existing Monument; Bureau of Land Management)
11/9/00 Vermilion Cliffs, AZ* (Bureau of Land Management)
1/17/01 Carrizo Plain, CA* (Bureau of Land Management)
1/17/01 Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks, NM* (Bureau of Land Management)
1/17/01 Minidoka Internment, ID
1/17/01 Pompeys Pillar, MT* (Bureau of Land Management)
1/17/01 Sonoran Desert, AZ* (Bureau of Land Management)
1/17/01 Upper Missouri River Breaks, MT* (Bureau of Land Management)
1/17/01 Virgin Islands Coral Reef, VI*
1/20/01 Governors Island, NY*

George W. Bush (3)

2/27/06 African Burial Ground, NY*
6/15/06 Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine (renamed Papahanaumokuakea Hawaii Islands Marine), HI
12/05/08 World War II Valor in the Pacific (incorporated USS Arizona Memorial), HI*

Barack Obama (32)

11/01/11 Fort Monroe, VA*
4/20/12 Fort Ord, CA (Bureau of Land Management)
9/21/12 Chimney Rock, CO (US Forest Service)*
10/08/12 César E. Chávez, CA*
3/25/13 Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers, OH*
3/25/13 First State, DE*
3/25/13 Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad, MD*
3/25/13 Río Grande del Norte, NM (Bureau of Land Management)*
3/25/13 San Juan Islands, WA (Bureau of Land Management)*
10/28/13 Military Working Dog Teams, TX (Department of Defense)
5/21/14 Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks, NM (Bureau of Land Management)*
10/10/15 San Gabriel Mountains, CA (US Forest Service)*
12/19/14 Tule Springs Fossil Beds, NV*
2/19/15 Browns Canyon, CO (Bureau of Land Management)*
2/19/15 Honouliuli, HI*
2/19/15 Pullman, IL*
7/10/15 Basin and Range, NV (Bureau of Land Management)*
7/10/15 Berryessa Snow Mountain, CA (US Forest Service/BLM)*
7/10/15 Waco Mammoth, TX*
2/12/16 Mojave Trails, CA (Bureau of Land Management)*
2/12/16 Sand to Snow, CA (US Forest Service, BLM)*
2/12/16 Castle Mountains, CA*
4/12/16 Belmont-Paul Womens Equality, DC*
6/24/16 Stonewall, NY*
9/15/16 Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument* (Atlantic Ocean)
12/28/16 Bears Ears, UT (Bureau of Land Management)*
12/28/16 Gold Butte, NV (Bureau of Land Management)*
1/12/17 Freedom Riders, AL*
1/12/17 Montgomery Civil Rights, AL*
1/12/17 Reconstruction Era, SC*
1/12/17 California Coastal, CA (Expansion of Existing Monument; Bureau of Land Management)
1/12/17 Cascade-Siskiyou, OR (Expansion of Existing Monument; Bureau of Land Management)

Donald Trump (1)

10/26/18 Camp Nelson, KY

Some additional notes on these designations:

• Congress has transferred 10 national monuments (Lewis and Clark Cavern, Wheeler, Shoshone Cavern, Papago Saguaro, Old Kasaan, Verendrye, Fossil Cycad, Castle Pinckney, Father Millet Cross, Holy Cross) to other federal, state, or local jurisdictions.
• Congress has limited Antiquities Act powers in two states: Wyoming and Alaska.
• The largest designation has been Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument at 140,000 square miles; the smallest was Father Millet Cross National Monument at 0.0074 acres.

The post National Monuments designated under the Antiquities Act appeared first on rscottjones.