Protect your heritage, help safeguard our future
Posted on25 February 2011.
SPECIAL TO THE PVT - Officials at Death Valley are predicting another great year for wildflowers, such as these
shown here. The national park celebrated its 78th birthday on Feb. 11.
By DONNA LAMM
Special to the PVT
Without much fanfare, the national treasure known as Death Valley turned 78 this month. Our
remarkable neighbor to the west was proclaimed a National Monument on Feb. 11, 1933, by
President Herbert Hoover. Hoover was exercising his authority under the Antiquities Act, a
venerated law recently under attack by a number of western politicians.
A review of our nation’s history shows this attack to be short-sighted political gamesmanship. The
conservation of our very best land for our children and grandchildren is at the core of what it means
to be an American.
Our nation’s most recognizable and cherished treasures, from the Grand Canyon and Death Valley to
the Statue of Liberty, are protected as a result of the Antiquities Act. Presidents on both sides of the
aisle have taken forward-thinking action to protect the very best of America for all of us, and for the
most important Americans: those not yet born.
Zion and Bryce Canyon were originally protected under the Antiquities Act. So were the Grand
Tetons and the rivers that Lewis and Clark explored. Most recently, in 2006, President George W.
Bush proclaimed the newest national monuments, in honor of the 100th anniversary of the
Antiquities Act.
Our national lands protected by the Antiquities Act — including our own Death Valley — are open for
all to explore, recreate and connect with nature. They offer our generation and the next the chance to
experience our nation’s rich natural and cultural heritage.
Significantly, places like Death Valley also help bolster our local economy. A 2001 study conducted
by University of Nevada researchers Justin Galli, Thomas R. Harris, and George W. Borden found
that Death Valley National Park visitors contribute up to $12 million annually to the Nye County
economy. And, as more of our visitors continue to learn about hidden treasures like the wild and
scenic Amargosa River, those economic benefits will only increase.
But imagine for a moment if Death Valley had never been protected. Imagine if someone had played
politics with the Antiquities Act just before Hoover was able to protect a world-class desert landscape
like Death Valley.
In economic terms, removing Death Valley National Park from the system of public lands would
mean a depressed future for our communities. In spiritual terms, no Death Valley National Park
would mean a diminished future for our children — less open space, a fractured cultural heritage,
and fewer opportunities.
As our nation grows, what remains of our heritage is disappearing. We urgently need to protect our
quality of life and the places that make our country great. Let’s spend our energy protecting the best
of America.
Even in 2011, we are continuing to discover dinosaur fossils, Native American artifacts, hidden
rivers, and rare animals and plants on our public lands. All of these things, together, are the greatest
gift we can give to our children. They increase our understanding of what America is, and what it can
be.
Let’s work together to leave partisan politics behind and focus on what’s important—a chance to
increase our children’s possibilities.