Justice Department Public Lands Guidance Goes Against Public Opinion

WASHINGTON, D.C. - A Justice Department opinion arguing that the Antiquities Act allows presidents to shrink or eliminate national monuments goes against a century of conservation measures that protect wildlife and historic sites - and runs contrary to the overwhelming, bipartisan public support for national monuments.

"The Antiquities Act has been used by nearly every president since Theodore Roosevelt to protect wildlife, conserve historic and Indigenous sites, and expand hunting and recreation opportunities for all Americans," said Abby Tinsley, vice president for conservation policy at the National Wildlife Federation. "Recent data from the Conservation in the West poll shows that 89% of Western voters, including 'four-in-five self-proclaimed MAGA supporters,' believe that national monument designations should be kept in place. Americans want their national monuments to endure for generations to come - not dissolved with the stroke of a pen."