119 years after the Antiquities Act's passage, the Trump administration wants to weaken national monument protections

Rocky Mountain Community Radio | By Caroline Llanes
Published June 17, 2025 at 3:07 PM MDT



Newspaper Rock, located in Bears Ears National Monument, is a rock panel with one of the largest collections of petroglyphs in the United States. Originally designated by President Obama, the first Trump administration reduced the area of Bears Ears before Biden restored it in 2021.


This month marks the 119th anniversary of the Antiquities Act of 1906, the law that allows presidents to designate national monuments. As both President Donald Trump and the current Republican-controlled Congress look to chip away at protections for federal public lands, including national monuments, the law has come under renewed scrutiny.

What is the Antiquities Act, and what does it do?
The Antiquities Act was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Theodore Roosevelt on June 8, 1906. Since its passage, all but three presidents have used its authority to designate 138 national monuments (the outliers being Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, and George H.W. Bush).

Susan Ryan, Vice President of Research at the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center in Cortez, CO, says the Antiquities Act allows presidents the ability to protect significant parts of the country’s heritage.

“In a nutshell, the act gives the president broad authority to determine which aspects of our nation's heritage are valuable and worthy of protection,” she said. “These can include cultural, historic, natural and areas of scientific value.”

She said its passage came after an extended period of westward expansion by white settlers in the late 1800s, which led to the destruction of cultural and natural resources.

More:
https://www.aspenpublicradio.org/environment/2025-06-17/119-years-after-the-antiquities-acts-passage-the-trump-administration-wants-to-weaken-national-monument-protections