07/21/2026
URGENT ACTION NEEDED
Our cultural resources are under attack! Recent executive orders have shrunk the boundaries of important national monuments by roughly 90%. This opens the land to potential oil and gas drilling, effectively destroying nearly 3 million acres containing archaeological sites. To make matters worse, the Advisory Council for Historic Preservation (ACHP) is proposing new amendments to Section 106. These changes would eliminate the involvement of tribes, archaeologists, and the public while giving agencies the power to choose their personal economic profit over greater cultural heritage. Without Section 106, we would have lost countless important sites, artifacts, buildings, and knowledge about our shared past. If these new amendments are passed, careers in archaeology, anthropology, and historic preservation are all threatened. As current students in these fields, this terrifies us.
If this concerns you, you have options:
1. Before July 24th, contact members of the ACHP (listed in the first comment) and voice your concerns!
2. Before July 29th, summit a comment (link below and in bio) to the Bureau of Land Management in support of the "No Action Alternative" which would preserve the current 10 mile buffer for another 20 years!
3. Right now, you can sign the petition to defend Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments! The links are listed below and in our bio.
PLEASE HELP US SAVE OUR CULTURAL RESOURCES AND OUR FUTURES!!!
-The Students at the Laboratory of Archaeology
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BLM Comment: https://eplanning.blm.gov/Project-Home/?id=D949F582-402D-F111-8341-001DD804183B&_gl=1*yudyop*_ga*MTUxNzI1MTA5My4xNzg0NTcwNzA3*_ga_GQKKTMMT8V*czE3ODQ1NzA3MDYkbzEkZzEkdDE3ODQ1NzA3MzAkajM2JGwwJGgw
Sign the Petition: https://www.conservationlands.org/monuments