There is a bill in Congress that would remove the federal protections granted to national monuments under the Antiquities Act of 1906.

The bill is H.R. 4532.

The first national monument to go under the scalpel is the Bear’s Ears National Monument in Southern Utah. If the Department of the Interior is successful in destroying this national monument, the next one slated for destruction is the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, also located in Utah. Third on the list is one of the few remaining old-growth forests and one of the most bio-diverse areas in the Western United States, the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument along the California-Oregon border.

Some of the protections granted to national parks and monuments are safety from mining, drilling, fracking, clear-cutting, grazing and off-road vehicle damage. The national monument status also protects the cultural and natural resources from vandalism, looting and destruction from inappropriate uses.

While we as citizens are not able to vote on this bill, our elected officials in Congress will be asked to vote on it. Our voices can only be heard through our representatives. Write them, email them or call them and let them know how you feel about H.R. 4532. Call your local representative at (202) 225-1956.

John Windsor lives in Elizabeth Lake and works in Santa Clarita.