In 1906, Republican President Theodore Roosevelt signed into law the Antiquities Act. It was the first U.S. law enacted expressly to protect cultural and natural resources with historic or scientific value on federal public lands. The Antiquities Act grants the president the authority to designate national monuments. It has been used by 18 presidents across party lines to protect 164 important spots around the U.S. In Maine, in 1916 President Wilson established Sieur de Monts National Monument, which became Acadia National Park. A century later, President Obama established Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument.

Many national monuments later were upgraded by Congress as national parks. In fact, more than 30 national parks were originally protected as national monuments, including Acadia, Grand Canyon, Grand Teton, Joshua Tree, Olympic, and Zion national parks.

The Biden-Harris administration has used the executive powers of the Antiquities Act to establish, expand, or restore eight landscape-level national monuments totaling more than 3.7 million acres. Those lands directly serve over 15.6 million people living in the surrounding areas and millions more who visit. [1]

Around the US there are active campaigns to designate additional national monuments. In Maine, activists are urging the Biden-Harris Administration to proclaim the Frances Perkins Homestead in Newcastle a national monument. [2]

However, the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 threatens to remove protections from recent national monuments. It calls for the removal of much of the Biden-Harris administration’s conservation and climate progress, including actions taken through long-established and bipartisan tools such as the Antiquities Act. That means rolling back or removing protections for national monuments by a Trump Administration. Project 2025 also calls for repealing the Antiquities Act so future presidents cannot protect cultural treasures. Pendley previously was acting director under Trump of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the agency that manages the most U.S. public lands. He is the author of the section of Project 2025 about public lands. He has been clear that he wants public lands sold off. His plan parallels the policy agenda of the extremist antiparks caucus in Congress, lawmakers working to erase land protections and to increase the reach of oil and gas drilling on public lands.

According to the authors of a recent article, “Getting rid of the Antiquities Act, a tool that has been so impactful over the past 118 years, would have disastrous consequences for the state of conservation in the United States.” [2] In Maine, it could mean rollbacks in Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument and blocking or undoing a Frances Perkins Homestead National Monument.

RESTORE and other conservation advocates are preparing to oppose rollbacks of our public lands protections. You can help by supporting those groups and by urging your representatives in Congress to create new national parks and to uphold federal protections for your national monuments, national parks, and other public conservation lands.

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[1] Sam Zeno, Disappearing Parks: How Project 2025 Would Decrease Protections for Nature, Center for American Progress, Oct 21, 2024, https://www.americanprogress.org/article/disappearing-parks-how-project-2025-would-decrease-protections-for-nature/

[2] Frances Perkins Homestead National Monument Campaign, https://francesperkinscenter.org/national-monument-campaign/

[3] Mariel Lutz et al, Project 2025 Seeks To Repeal One of America’s Greatest Conservation Tools, Center for American Progress, Sep 12, 2024, https://www.americanprogress.org/article/project-2025-seeks-to-repeal-one-of-americas-greatest-conservation-tools/

A C T I O N   A L E R T

HELP SAVE THE ALLAGASH

In the middle of the night, as indeed each time that we lay on the shore of a lake, we heard the voice of the loon, loud and distinct, from far over the lake. It is a very wild sound, quite in keeping with the place… When camping in such a wilderness as this, you are prepared to hear sounds from some of its inhabitants which will give voice to its wildness.

~ From Henry D. Thoreau, “The Allegash and East Branch,” 1864

WHAT’S HAPPENING

• For more than a century and a half the river and lakes of the Allagash watershed in northern Maine have attracted adventurers from across America and beyond. To protect the wilderness experience there, the Allagash Wilderness Waterway (AWW) was created as a partnership between our national government and the State of Maine.

• Lands along the Allagash were purchased with federal and state funds in the 1960s.

• In 1970, the AWW was incorporated into the national Wild & Scenic River System. It is a national treasure. The Allagash Wilderness Waterway is not just another state park. It is unique in Maine and in the United States. It deserves special attention to preserve its special wilderness qualities.

• By law, the Restricted Zone along the Allagash Wilderness Waterway is to be managed for “maximum wilderness character.”

• Despite this history, the State is now planning to use $1.2 million in federal funds to erect six storage buildings (40’ x 60’) and office buildings (20’ x 20’) at three locations within the AWW Restricted Zone, the most protected area of the waterway.

• Locating the new buildings in the AWW Restricted Zone is not consistent with the State’s Allagash Wilderness Management, which says the primary goal of the AWW is to “Enhance the wilderness character of the restricted zone.” 

• It is not clear this development is truly needed, but if is, it could be sited outside the Restricted Zone in the AWW.

• The Bureau of Parks & Lands also plans to launch a 22’ aluminum landing craft with 250hp outboard motor in the AWW. The boat is inconsistent with the principles of wilderness management, is out of character for the AWW, and will only add to the storage, docking and operational expenses.

• Several former Superintendents of the AWW and Maine Guides oppose the proposed development.

• Everyone has a stake in protecting the wilderness in the Allagash Wilderness Waterway.

HOW TO HELP

Send written comments to the Maine Bureau of Parks & Lands at the address below. You can use information in the key points listed above, but it is best to put comments into your own words.

Andy Cutko, Director, Bureau of Parks and Lands, Andy.Cutko@maine.gov, 22 State House Station Augusta, ME 04333-0022

David Spahr is a naturalist, photographer, and forest farmer who has collected, photographed, and eaten wild mushrooms for 50 years.  He is a member of the Maine Mycological Association and maintains a website devoted to the subject, mushroom-collecting.com. At Curtis Library, Brunswick, May 10, 6 pm.

Maine hiker Carey Kish vividly recounts his 2,189-mile journey on the AT. Learn about the trail's rich history, the camaraderie of fellow hikers, scary wildlife encounters, and more. At L.L.Bean Discovery Park, Freeport, August 10, 7 pm, free.

This list features farms who are planning to be open to the public for Maine’s Open Farm Day, July 24, 2022. Check local listings.

The 2022 Summer Institute: Our One and Only Ocean, held in collaboration with The National Geographic Society, explores the beauty, promise, and perils of our greatest commons—the ocean. 20 prominent speakers in 10 sessions. At College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, July 25-29, free and open to the public, but registration is required.

America’s national parks are entrance fee-free on November 11, Veterans Day. National parks have something for everyone. Free admission days are designed to encourage discovery and visitation of the country’s variety of national parks.

America’s national parks are entrance fee-free on August 4, National Public Lands Day. National parks have something for everyone. Free admission days are designed to encourage discovery and visitation of the country’s variety of national parks.

America’s national parks are entrance fee-free on August 4, the anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act. National parks have something for everyone. Free admission days are designed to encourage discovery and visitation of the country’s variety of national parks.

A Communities Leading on Climate conference will be held Friday, June 17, 8:30 AM – 4 PM, at the Augusta Civic Center. There are both in-person ($50) and virtual ($10) participation options. Gina McCarthy, the nation’s first White House National Climate Advisor and chair of President Biden’s National Climate Task Force, will deliver the keynote address. Hosted by the Maine Climate Council.

Doug Lindner, Advocacy Director for Judiciary and Democracy, and Anthony Moffa, Associate Professor of Law at the UMaine School of Law, discuss what the coming years could look like if the conservative majority on the Supreme Court handcuffs climate action by the EPA. April 22, preregister. Sponsored by Maine Conservation Voters.

Mushroom walks, children’s activities, herbal foot soaks, discussions on herbalism, beekeeping, permaculture practices. At Maine Outdoor Wellness Center, 69 River Road, Turner. At Nezinscot Farm and AVSWCD, April 22.

The 2022 Maine Food Waste Solutions Summit will be held virtually from 9 a.m. to noon on Friday, April 15. This year’s theme is “Improving Maine’s Food System.” The summit is free and open to the public.

Dr. John J. Daigle, Professor in the School of Forest Resources at UMaine, talks about ways that Wabanaki, basketmakers, tribes, state and federal foresters, university researchers, landowners and others come together to prevent, detect, and respond to the threat of the Emerald ash borer. Via Zoom and in-person at 107 Norman Smith Hall, UMaine, April 11, 4 pm, free.

Journalist Scott Andrews talks about preserving land for public use by a combination of public and private initiatives. The workshop concludes with a presentation of the proposed 3.2 million-acre Maine Woods National Park by Thomas and Lee Ann Szelog. Class format will include in-person lectures, discussion, and film. At University of Southern Maine, Portland, April 9, 9:30 am - 11:30 am, $15 pre-registration required.

Thomas Bennett offers an examination and discussion of the shell middens of Casco Bay. Zoom, April 7, 6:30 pm, preregister. Hosted by Prince Memorial Library, Cumberland.

From tips on how to identify native Maine species to the best locations in the state to find “really good birds,” Press Herald nature columnist Doug Hitchcox shares his vast knowledge in a lively discussion with outdoor reporter Deirdre Fleming.

Jennifer Neptune, artist, anthropologist, educator, and member of the Penobscot Nation, discusses relationship, respect, and reciprocity with plants and the natural world; food and medicine, beyond corn and tobacco; and benevolence and beauty of the trees: ash, birch, cedar, maple. At Winthrop Performing Arts Center, March 31, 7 pm, must show full proof of vaccination against COVID-19 or a negative COVID test completed within 48 hours of the lecture. Hosted by Kennebec Land Trust.

From unlawful purges of legal voters from the voter rolls to the attempt by Trump supporters to run the Biden campaign bus off a highway in 2020, Texas has stood at the epicenter of partisan actors trying to use violence, intimidation, and illegal acts of voter suppression to influence public policy. Join Katie Naranjo, Travis County Democratic Party chair, and Will Hayward from the League of Women Voters of Maine to hear what has happened in Texas, how this anti-democratic undercurrent is beginning to bubble up in Maine, and how we can make sure Maine does not end up like Texas. March 25, 12 pm, free, preregister. Hosted by Maine Conservation Voters.

Deb Soule, Herbalist and founder of Avena Botanicals, discusses ten important medicinal plants, introduction to using medicinal plants, and common preparations. At Winthrop Performing Arts Center, March 24, 7 pm, must show full proof of vaccination against COVID-19 or a negative COVID test completed within 48 hours of the lecture. Hosted by Kennebec Land Trust.

University of Maine Cooperative Extension will offer a free webinar about gardening with pollinators in mind on Wednesday, April 13, 6–7:30 p.m. “Planting for Pollinators” offers practical tips for gardeners on ways to provide food, habitat and water resources for pollinators to help address the decline in insect, native bee and bird species. UMaine Extension horticulture professional Kate Garland will focus on native plants and best landscape management practices. Free; preregistration required.

Eric Doucette, Assistant Professor of Biology, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, talks about the correct identification of medicinal plants, non-toxic or non-medicinal  look-alikes, and conserving rare species while collecting medicinals. At Winthrop Performing Arts Center, March 17, 7 pm, must show full proof of vaccination against COVID-19 or a negative COVID test completed within 48 hours of the lecture. Hosted by Kennebec Land Trust.

Botanist Don Cameron talks Maine’s rarest plants and the Maine Natural Areas Program’s role in protecting them. Online, March 8, 12 pm, preregister. Hosted by Merryspring Nature Center.

Susie Arnold, Ph.D, Marine Scientist at the Island Institute, speaks about sea level rise and its current and projected impacts on the Maine coast. Online, March 3, 6 pm, preregister. Hosted by Kennebec Estuary Land Trust.

Thomas Bennett offers an examination of shell middens, what they tell us about the Native lifestyle, and how private citizens can become involved in protecting this important cultural resource. Online, March 3, 6:30 pm, preregister. Hosted by Prince Memorial Library, Cumberland.

Panel discussion with Hillary Lister, Bill Lippincott, and Dawn Neptune Adams of Don’t Waste ME; Sarah Nichols, NRCM Sustainable Maine Program Director; facilitated by Dana Colihan, Maine State Director, Community Action Works. Online, February 25, 12 pm, preregister. Hosted by Maine Conservation Voters.

“Homestead Maple Sugaring,” presented by Jason Lilley, UMaine Extension Professional, will cover everything you need to know about making your own maple syrup. February 24, 6 pm, $5 or $10 fee optional, preregister. Hosted by UMaine Cooperative Extension and the Oxford County Soil and Water Conservation District .

Shawn Laatsch, Director of the Astronomy Center at the University of Maine, leads a virtual dive into the beauty of the night sky, dirigo-style. February 24, 2022, 4 pm, free, preregister. Hosted by AARP.