Clinton Designates Several National Monuments

R I C H L A N D, Wash., Aug. 7 -- Skimming over the waves in his jet boat, Rich Steele gazed upon his beloved Columbia River and flashed a smile that threatened to stretch from shore to shore.

For 35 years, Steele had fought to protect this free-flowingstretch of the Columbia from development. Now, by presidentialdecree, it has become the Hanford Reach National Monument, andSteele could barely contain himself.

With the wind combing back his silvery hair, he scanned theriver, finding delights at every bend: a deer bounding along theshore, a heron launching itself with a squawk from a cottonwoodtree, swallows darting from chalky white bluffs.

“Ta-DAAH!” Steele sang, throwing his arms out wide. “I’ve got myself a monument. Pretty spectacular, don’t you think?”

Presidential Legacy on the Line

Across the West, environmental activists like Steele havesomething to celebrate these days. President Clinton, trying tocarve out an environmental legacy, has created or added 10national monuments covering nearly 4 million acres in the Westand administration officials have signaled more may be on the way.

The monuments protect an unprecedented array of natural wonders,from giant sequoias in California to archeological sites inColorado to ancient ironwood trees in Arizona. The Hanfordmonument, one of four created June 9, protects 51 river miles ofcritical spawning grounds for salmon and 195,000 acres ofsurrounding grass and brush land.

Clinton is relying on the Antiquities Act of 1906, which gives apresident unilateral authority to create national monuments onfederal land to protect “objects of historic and scientificinterest.”

The monument designation, first used by President TheodoreRoosevelt to protect the Grand Canyon, can remove land from mining,logging, grazing and other extractive uses that are allowed on muchof the nation’s 630 million acres of federal land.

Carter Holds Monument Record

Today, more than 100 monuments in 24 states and the VirginIslands cover about 70 million acres. Even more areas began asmonuments but were converted later to national parks by Congress,including Grand Canyon, Death Valley, Glacier Bay, Olympic andGrand Teton national parks.

President Jimmy Carter holds the record for the most land setaside in monuments, having protected 56 million acres in Alaska — much of which went on to become parks and preserves by order ofCongress.

In the lower 48 states, however, Clinton has put more land intonational monuments than any other president, even Teddy Roosevelt.

Holding press conferences in scenic spots has given Clinton achance to trumpet positive accomplishments in a presidency soiledby scandal.

“I believe maybe if there’s one thing that unites ourfractious, argumentative country across generations and parties andacross time, it is the love we have for our land,” Clinton said inJanuary as he created a national monument nearly doubling theprotected zone around the Grand Canyon.