April 19, 2022
The Honorable Joseph R. Biden
President of the United States
The Honorable Debra Haaland
Secretary of the Interior
The Honorable Brenda Mallory
Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality
Dear President Biden, Secretary Haaland, and Chair Mallory:
We are writing on behalf of over 2,100 members of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, a non-profit organization composed of retired, former, or current employees of the National Park Service (NPS). The Coalition studies, educates, speaks, and acts for the preservation of America’s National Park System. As a group, we collectively represent over 40,000 years of experience managing and protecting America’s most precious and important natural and cultural resources.
Last year, your administration set our country’s first-ever national conservation goal – to conserve 30 percent of U.S. lands and waters by 2030 – as part of the America the Beautiful Plan. And in 2021, you delivered on your promise to restore the boundaries of Bears Ears National Monument, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, and Northeast Canyons and Seamounts National Monument.
Now, through the use of the Antiquities Act, you can continue to build an inclusive and resilient conservation legacy that reflects the diversity of our natural heritage and permanently protects our lands and waters.
There are thousands of acres of public land that are at risk and in need of additional protections. Many of these spaces have been proposed as national monuments, including Castner Range, Avi Kwa Ame, Douglas-Fir, Range of Light, 1908 Springfield Race Riot, and Cahokia Mounds.
The Antiquities Act is a critically important and bipartisan presidential tool that has played a pivotal role in our country’s history, and in the history of the National Park Service. Many of us have served at national parks across the country that were first protected as national monuments. Thanks to the use of the Antiquities Act, irreplaceable natural and cultural resources have been protected for the enjoyment of future generations.
As advocates for the protection of our national parks and public lands – including national monuments – we urge you to use the Antiquities Act to meet the goals laid out in the 30 x 30 initiative and to protect public land at risk.
Sincerely,
The Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks Executive Council:
Michael Murray, Chair
Don Hellmann, Vice-Chair
Michael Allen
Sarah G. Allen
Russell Galipeau
Linda Mazzu
Don Neubacher
Jim Northup
Richard Ring
Cheryl Schreier
William Shaddox
Chris Soller
Sheridan Steele
Terri Thomas
Clara Wooden
Signatures of Coalition Members:
| Janis Kozlowski | Anchorage | AK |
| Sanford P. Rabinowitch | Anchorage | AK |
| Bud Rice | Eagle River | AK |
| Marcia Blaszak | Wasilla | AK |
| Miriam Hornstein | Huntsville | AL |
| Mark Ruggiero | Buckeye | AZ |
| Ann Baugh | Chino Valley | AZ |
| Carol Kruse | Flagstaff | AZ |
| Scott Sticha | Hereford | AZ |
| Bruce McKeeman | Prescott | AZ |
| Peter K. Nigh | Prescott | AZ |
| Michael Tollefson | Scottsdale | AZ |
| Bruce Collins | Sierra Vista | AZ |
| Alan Scot McElveen | Snowflake | AZ |
| Brad Traver | Tucson | AZ |
| John W Wade | Tucson | AZ |
| Paul R.Anderson | Tucson | AZ |
| Richard Smith | Tucson | AZ |
| Robert Arnberger | Tucson | AZ |
| Rebecca Mills | Berkeley | CA |
| Jon Lewis | Carpinteria | CA |
| Richard G Danielsen | Clovis | CA |
| David Haet | Corte Madera | CA |
| Allen Bohnert | Davis | CA |
| Barbara J. Griffin | Grass Valley | CA |
| Peter Fitzpatrick | Laguna Niguel | CA |
| Edwin Hession | Los Angeles | CA |
| Rosemary Graham-Gardner | Manhattan Beach | CA |
| Donald M. Fox | Mariposa | CA |
| Russell Galipeau | Newbury Park | CA |
| Woody Smeck | Nipomo | CA |
| Elize Van Zandt | Palm Desert | CA |
| Richard E. Wells | Palm Springs | CA |
| Mary G Martin | Palo Cedro | CA |
| Marilyn Muse Meyer | Pioneer | CA |
| Don Neubacher | Point Reyes Station | CA |
| David Stuart | Sacramento | CA |
| Charles Schultheis | San Diego | CA |
| Amy Meyer | San Francisco | CA |
| Wendy Poinsot | San Francisco | CA |
| Mary Susan Hurst | San Rafael | CA |
| Ralph G Mihan | San Rafael | CA |
| Alexander J McMahon | Sonoma | CA |
| Daniel Sealy | Trinidad | CA |
| Jeff Ohlfs | Twentynine Palms | CA |
| Donald Jackson | Weaverville | CA |
| Gary Davis | Westlake Village | CA |
| John C. Paige | Broomfield | CO |
| Peggy Dolinich | Colorado Springs | CO |
| Charles Wahler | Colorado Springs | CO |
| Sara Shoemaker | Cortez | CO |
| Carol Hammel | Denver | CO |
| David Trickett | Denver | CO |
| Ronald Thoman | Denver | CO |
| Sharon Miles | Denver | CO |
| Elaine F Leslie | Durango | CO |
| Craig C Axtell | Estes Park | CO |
| David Holmes | Estes Park | CO |
| Larry Frederick | Estes Park | CO |
| Vaughn Baker | Estes Park | CO |
| Clyde Stonaker | Fort Collins | CO |
| Patrick H Reed | Fort Collins | CO |
| William Jackson | Fort Collins | CO |
| David J Price | Fruita | CO |
| Kim E. Sikoryak | Golden | CO |
| Gregory Gnesios | Grand Junction | CO |
| Linda Jayne Alick | Gunnison | CO |
| Jim Brady | Highlands Ranch | CO |
| Mike Wrigley | Howard | CO |
| Janet Wise | Lakewood | CO |
| Katherine C. Ziegenfus | Lakewood | CO |
| Michael Rees | Lakewood | CO |
| Richard D Falb | Lakewood | CO |
| Carl J Douhan | Littleton | CO |
| Larry Walling | Littleton | CO |
| Richard Cronenberger | Littleton | CO |
| Michael J. Spratt | Longmont | CO |
| Timothy J. Oliverius | Mancos | CO |
| David B Shaver | Morrison | CO |
| Rick Jones | Ridgway | CO |
| Cary Carlson | Salida | CO |
| Carol F. Aten | Washington | DC |
| Nicholas Carson | Washington | DC |
| Russell Paul Smith | Historic New Castle | DE |
| Fred Herling | Cutler Bay | FL |
| Patricia Bentley | Elkton | FL |
| Oron L. Bass, Jr. | High Springs | FL |
| Barbara Goodman | Jacksonville | FL |
| Paul Cole | Kissimmee | FL |
| John Owens | Miami | FL |
| James Phillip Corless | Nokomis | FL |
| Lynn Wightman | Penney Farms | FL |
| Dennis Hanson | Punta Gorda | FL |
| Patricia A. Dantona | St Augustine | FL |
| William and Ana Loftus | Vero Beach | FL |
| William A. Smith | Winter Park | Fl |
| Leon Lamar Folsom, Jr. | Atlanta | GA |
| John Beck | Conyers | GA |
| Paul Hartwig | Roswell | GA |
| John H. Jameson | Savannah | GA |
| William L Huie | Tyrone | GA |
| Larry Johnson | Redfield | IA |
| Christine L Korsmo | West Branch | IA |
| Ted Stout | Bellevue | ID |
| Jeffrey Manley | Boise | ID |
| Roberta B D'Amico | Boise | ID |
| Terry Michael Di Mattio | Driggs | ID |
| William C Walters | Nashville | IN |
| Norman Hellmers | Valparaiso | IN |
| Kenneth E. Apschnikat | Bowling Green | KY |
| Howard G Miller | Lexington | KY |
| Charles Bloomingburg | Paducah | KY |
| Jay Eickenhorst | River Ridge | lA |
| Audrey Faye Calhoun | Winnfield | LA |
| Sarah Peskin | Brookline | MA |
| Glenn Clark | Hanover | MA |
| Alister R. Shanks | Northampton | MA |
| Maria Burks | Wellfleet | MA |
| Colleen Crowley Derber | Cambridge | MD |
| George Alderson | Catonsville | MD |
| David H Wallace | Frederick | MD |
| Ramona Looney | Germantown | MD |
| Katherine Holler Stevenson | Potomac | MD |
| Robert Eliot King | Silver Spring | MD |
| Samuel N. Stokes | Silver Spring | MD |
| Todd Bolton | Smithsburg | MD |
| David C Hartman | Stevensville | MD |
| Mel Poole | Thurmont | MD |
| Michael Murray, Chair | Brunswick | ME |
| Jim Vekasi | Southwest Harbor | ME |
| Paul F. Haertel | Southwest Harbor | ME |
| Ken Irwin | Beulah | MI |
| Edward Walzer | Hesperia | MI |
| Brian A Hoduski | Houghton | MI |
| Sue Jennings | Lake Ann | MI |
| Charles Zeits | Lake Leelanau | MI |
| Jackie Zeits | Lake Leelanau | MI |
| Max Old Bear | Traverse City | MI |
| Mary Graves | International Falls | MN |
| J. Eric Haugland | Park Rapids | MN |
| Joseph P Hudick | Taylor's Falls | MN |
| Thomas W.Griffiths | Clinton | MO |
| Tom Habecker | Bozeman | MT |
| Charles J. Potter | Columbia Falls | MT |
| Gary Brandow | Columbia Falls | MT |
| Jack Potter | Columbia Falls | MT |
| Clair Roberts | Emigrant | MT |
| Elizabeth Roberts | Emigrant | MT |
| Karen Wade | Fortine | MT |
| Dr. Patricia Corry | Helena | MT |
| James Perkins | Helena | MT |
| Amy Vanderbilt | Kalispell | MT |
| Donald Bruce Fladmark | Kalispell | MT |
| Robert D Dunnagan | Livingston | Mt |
| Dennis Divoky | West Glacier | MT |
| Steven Kesselman | Albemarle | NC |
| James Edward Fox | Asheville | NC |
| Michael Molling | Asheville | NC |
| Philip A Francis Jr | Asheville | NC |
| Juin Crosse Adams | Blowing Rock | NC |
| Helen Hossley | Charlotte | NC |
| Cynthia M. Hilda | Manns Harbor | NC |
| John Cissell | Mooresville | NC |
| Charles F. Harris | Morehead City | NC |
| Dan R Moses | New Bern | NC |
| Lynda Doucette | Waynesville | NC |
| Joel D. Ossoff | Whittier | NC |
| Patricia Ashley | Dickinson | ND |
| Clara L Wooden | Bellevue | NE |
| Edward Carlin Sr | Omaha | NE |
| Steve Cinnamon | Omaha | NE |
| Warren H Hill | Omaha | NE |
| Thomas D. Thiessen | Pleasant Dale | NE |
| John H Dryfhout | Cornish | NH |
| Otto Wolf | Newport | NJ |
| Janet Wolf | Newport | NJ |
| Terrence D Moore | Shamong | NJ |
| Barry T Sullivan | West Cape May | NJ |
| Olav V. Olsen | Albuquerque | NM |
| Allan JD Jaworski | Carlsbad | NM |
| Victor Albert Webster | lamy | NM |
| Gail C Menard | Rio Rancho | NM |
| Anne C. Cully | Santa Fe | NM |
| Anthony Bonanno | Santa Fe | NM |
| Cary F Brown | Santa Fe | NM |
| Cherry Payne | Santa Fe | NM |
| David Donohue | Santa Fe | NM |
| Jerry L. Rogers | Santa Fe | NM |
| Steve Burns | Santa Fe | NM |
| Tom Ribe | Santa Fe | NM |
| Vito Spinale | Santa Fe | NM |
| Tom Vaughan | Silver City | NM |
| John and Kitty Ritenour | Boulder City | NV |
| John H King | Boulder City | NV |
| William J Burke | Boulder City | NV |
| James T. Reynolds | Henderson | NV |
| Eileen Loughran | Las Vegas | NV |
| Dean Reeder | Mesquite | NV |
| Maria Abonnel | Cortlandt Manor | NY |
| Joseph H. Finan | Greenwich | NY |
| Michael Adlerstein, FAIA | New York | NY |
| Christopher Olijnyk | Rocky Point | NY |
| Lois Neff | Atwater | OH |
| Emily Thompson | Dayton | OH |
| John P. Debo, Jr | Hudson | OH |
| Maureen Welch | Seville | OH |
| William J.Carroll | Silver Lake Village | OH |
| Daniel Jenner | Grove | OK |
| George Buckingham | Chiloquin | OR |
| Doyle Nelson | Grants Pass | OR |
| Robert W Reynolds | Medford | OR |
| William Sanders | Birdsboro | PA |
| Donna Williams | Carlisle | PA |
| Maryellen Snyder | Chalk Hill | PA |
| Roger Cleven | Clarks Summit | PA |
| Sherry Justus | Elkins Park | PA |
| Lloyd N Chapman | Ephrata | PA |
| David Scott Hartwig | Gettysburg | PA |
| James C Roach | Gettysburg | PA |
| David Forney | King of Prussia | PA |
| Gene Kleppinger III | Kutztown | PA |
| John Richard Erisman | Pittsburgh | PA |
| Edward S. Kalbach | Schwenksville | PA |
| Cheryl Schreier | Custer | SD |
| Randi Smith | Spearfish | SD |
| Ramon Gene Brende | Wentworth | SD |
| Alan D. Hollister | Kingsport | TN |
| Warren E Bielenberg | Maryville | TN |
| James Groton | Oak Ridge | TN |
| William Richard Harwell | College Station | TX |
| Wilbur E Whitaker | Kerrville, | TX |
| Richard M. Ziino Jr. | McKinney | TX |
| Tom Haraden | Castle Valley | UT |
| Cynthia Von Halle | Kanab | UT |
| Allyson Mathis | Moab | UT |
| Nicholas J Eason | Moab | UT |
| Paul Henderson | Moab | UT |
| Luke E. Dalton | Ogden | UT |
| Robert G Burns | Orem | UT |
| Fred J Fagergren | Santa Clara | UT |
| Philip Brueck | Saratoga Springs | UT |
| Cordell Roy | South Jordan | UT |
| Ken Kehrer, Jr. | Teasdale | UT |
| Gary Johnston | Annandale | VA |
| Carol Shull | Arlington | VA |
| Roberta Barrows | Arlington | VA |
| Paulette Mullinax | Bedford, | VA |
| Rebecca L. Harriett | Bluemont | VA |
| John Reynolds | Crozet | VA |
| Robert George Stanton | Fairfax Station | VA |
| Philip Selleck | Falls Church | VA |
| Marcia Keener | Fredericksburg | VA |
| Charles Kirby | Leesburg | VA |
| John E. Hunter | Lovettsville | VA |
| Russ Ludwick | Luray | VA |
| Denis Galvin | McLean | VA |
| Bill Hafker | Oakton | VA |
| John Francis Byrne | Oakton | VA |
| Michael R Panz | Poquoson | VA |
| H Bryan Mitchell | Reva | VA |
| James C. Redford Jr. | Williamsburg | VA |
| James Redford | Williamsburg | VA |
| Jane Sundberg | Yorktown | VA |
| Stephen Bruner | Londonderry | VT |
| Gene Casey | Ashford | WA |
| Carl Christensen | Carlsborg | WA |
| Gilbert E. Blinn | Eastsound | WA |
| Ronald G. Warfield | Eatonville | WA |
| George Bowen | Hoodsport | WA |
| Laura Rotegard | Indianola | WA |
| Shirley M. Clark | Issaquah | WA |
| Rick Mossman | Mount Vernon | WA |
| Timothy Manns | Mount Vernon | WA |
| Barbara E. Maynes | Port Angeles | WA |
| David Morris | Port Angeles | WA |
| Diane Chung | Port Angeles | WA |
| Lawrence A Lang | Port Angeles | WA |
| David Given | Port Townsend | WA |
| Gary Cummins | Port Townsend | WA |
| Thomas M. Lorig | Seattle | WA |
| Yeva Cifor | Seattle | WA |
| Dennis Burnett | Sequim | WA |
| Ginny Rousseau | Sequim | WA |
| Marty Huseman | Spokane | WA |
| Scott Chapman | University Place | WA |
| Tonnie Cummings | Vancouver | WA |
| Colin Toby Hastie | Yakima | WA |
| Stephen W Hastings | Harpers Ferry | WV |
| Carl Lynn Stapler | Evanston | WY |
| Joan Anzelmo | Jackson | WY |
| Mark J. Kelleher | Jackson | WY |
| Sue Consolo-Murphy | Wapiti | WY |