Jun 5, 2025
Public Land Advocates Push Back on Threats this Weekend
(June 6, 2025) Amid threats to undo national monuments, sell off and open up public lands tounprecedented mining and drilling, and defund the agencies that are caretakers of national public lands, advocates across the country are expected to hold local events on Saturday, June 7th, to show support for national monuments, national parks and public lands. People will gather at beloved trailheads, rivers, parks and other public lands to let the Trump administration know these beloved places are not for sale.
The rallies, both in-person and online, will focus on states with national monuments in the Trump administration’s crosshairs, one day ahead of the 119th anniversary of the Antiquities Act (June 8, 1906) which has allowed presidents to preserve lands for their natural, biological and cultural values.
“Never in U.S. history have public lands been so viciously attacked on multiple fronts simultaneously by an administration and its sympathizers in Congress,” said Shantha Alonso, executive director of the America the Beautiful for All Coalition. “The American public loves our parks, monuments, forests, and other public lands. The only people supporting public lands liquidation and mistreatment are an elite minority that could directly profit from this at the taxpayers’ expense.”
A recent national poll from Trust for Public Land and conducted by YouGov showed that of 4,000 Americans surveyed, 74 percent oppose the closure of national public lands, and 71 percent oppose selling public lands to the highest bidder. Another poll this year from Colorado College of western voters had similar results, with 72 percent preferring their elected officials to place more emphasis on protecting clean water sources, air quality, and wildlife habitat while providing opportunities to visit and recreate on public lands.
Recent press reports say the Trump administration has a short list of six national monuments they’re considering slashing: Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni-Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon (AZ), Ironwood Forest (AZ), Chuckwalla (CA), Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks (NM), Bears Ears (UT) and Grand Staircase-Escalante (UT). At the same time, the administration proposed draconian cuts to the agencies that steward these lands, declared a false energy emergency to speed drilling and mining, and a budget amendment in Congress called for liquidation of public lands until it was removed after public protest.
Public lands advocates are urged to sign petitions such as the one from National Parks Conservation Association and Conservation Lands Foundation, and reporters can search the hashtags #monumentsforall, #handsoff and #notforsale in the coming days.
The America the Beautiful For All Coalition is comprised of hundreds of organizations representing millions of Americans who unite under a shared agenda to build shared power that conserves our water, land and wildlife for future generations. For more information, contact the coalition’s communications consultant, Tony Iallonardo at tony@i-strategies.net.
