At issue is the circumvention of due process. The President bypassed Congress by using the Antiquities Act. "The Act states that areas of the monuments are to be confined to the smallest area compatible with the proper care and management of the objects to be protected." 350,000 acres is the smallest area compatible?
"The 1906 act stated that it was intended for: "... the protection of objects of historic and scientific interest." " I'm sure if one looked long and hard enough they might find some historic and scientific interest but worthy of a National Monument? Really?
When Jimmy Carter used the act in Alaska withdrawing a mere 50,000 acres, Congress stepped up and created "The Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act requires Congressional ratification of the use of the Antiquities Act in Alaska for withdrawals of greater than 5,000 acres." Too bad they confined it to Alaska.
ANY excavation in a National Monument requires a permit. So for all intents and purposes prospecting is prohibited. Saying it is not because I could pan is incorrect because panning is not profitable. As I stated before hunters put more money in habitat restoration than ANY other group. You really think hunting will be readily allowed? Boondocking?
Saying I can still walk? Really? I don't think wheel chair ramps and sidewalks are necessary but doesn't it restrict those who are less mobile?
Obviously by now you've figured out what camp I'm in. I've already lost some fabulous camping sites to career politicians who never get dust on their wingtips. Enough already.
"A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or important event, or which has become important to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, or as an example of historic architecture. The term 'monument' is often applied to buildings or structures that are considered examples of important architectural and/or cultural heritage." This isn't one.
