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Oppose Changes to National Monuments

Ryan Zinke has a record of saying one thing, but doing another

By Brenna Davis

When you’re born and raised in Montana, preserving our outdoor heritage is one of the many values that is instilled at a young age. For the past few months, that value has been under attack by the Trump administration and Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke through the unnecessary review of national monuments. Secretary Zinke has told us not to worry, and that the Upper Missouri River Breaks “will go untouched.” Well, I am worried.

Ryan Zinke has a record of saying one thing, but doing another. Remember when Zinke cited his personal observations of diminishing glaciers in Glacier National Park as evidence of climate change, but turned around and defended a million-dollar cut to the park’s budget? Or how about the time he threatened Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski over her health care vote, then called the reports “laughable?” Zinke campaigned in 2016 as a “Teddy Roosevelt conservative,” but is undermining Roosevelt’s legacy piece of legislation, the Antiquities Act.

The current administration has shown its affinity for not telling the truth time and time again. I won’t believe The Breaks are protected until the entire review is concluded, and in writing. If Montanans luck out, and we do get to enjoy all The Breaks have to offer for generations to come, let’s use another Montana value: lending a hand. We need to help our friends across the country protect the monuments close to their homes. Stand in firm opposition to any changes to any national monuments.

Brenna Davis
Missoula