Our Call to Protect Public Lands

The Rt. Rev. Gregory H. Rickel is the eighth Bishop of the Episcopal Church’s Diocese of Olympia, which encompasses all of Western Washington (www.ecww.org). Earth Ministry/WAIPL is proud to partner with the Diocese of Olympia and many of its member parishes to care for creation and advocate for our Native neighbors. He wrote this opinion piece in advance of the Trump Administration's announcement that they will be significantly cutting the size of Bears Ears national monument.

On Monday, the President of the United States is scheduled to visit Utah and is expected to put in motion a process to dramatically cut the size of national monuments in that state and others around the nation. From the Grand Canyon to the Everglades, from Ellis Island to Mt. St. Helens, public lands in our country are, for so many, religious and not, a spiritual and moral anchor, a touchstone of inspiration, honor, and respect. These lands exist not only for our enjoyment and recreation but also to teach us. Our faith compels us to be stewards of the land and to protect these special places.

Five Native nations of the Southwest have worked for decades to establish Bears’ Ears National Monument, which protects almost 200,000 archeological sites as well many places sacred to the People. Recently, all seven Utah Chapter Houses of the Navajo Nation that surround Bears Ears National Monument unanimously came out in opposition to the President, and our government, taking any action to diminish formal protections for this sacred place.  

Goose Neck State Park, part of Bears Ears National Monument.
Photo: Bob Wick/Bureau of Land Management.

Many Christian denominations, like mine, have, in our history, failed to respect Native culture and religion. I must admit that. And that makes it all the more painful to see Native sacred sites still being seized for mining, grazing, and drilling. I was raised to believe that the theft of Native lands was a thing of the past. Now, very little land remains protected on behalf of Tribal communities. This is already a scar upon our nation and the action being contemplated by our President only makes this worse. Bishops and denominational executives in Washington State wrote letters of apology to our Native neighbors in 1987 and 1997 acknowledging the harm they suffered at the hands of Christians in the past. These faith leaders promised to stand with Indigenous people on behalf of their sacred sites and treaty rights if threatened in the present. That time is now.

Public lands are part of our great American heritage. Republican president and conservationist Teddy Roosevelt recognized the importance of public lands and fought to protect them, in part though the Antiquities Act of 1906. This bipartisan act allows the president to conserve our natural, spiritual, and cultural heritage for our children and all future generations.

There is a saying that “conservationists are the best ancestors.” We are called to be good ancestors, and as people of faith, good stewards, and protect the Antiquities Act, which is under attack by Congress and the Administration. Gutting the Antiquities Act will greatly reduce the power of Native nations to protect Bears’ Ears. It will also make it more difficult for all of us to protect our shared heritage from corporate interests who are so often only concerned about their own gain.

St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral, and the Diocese of Olympia, is proud to have partnered with Earth Ministry/Washington Interfaith Power & Light to stand with our Native neighbors and host Totem Pole Journeys of the Lummi House of Tears Carvers in defense of Northwest Native sacred sites and treaty rights. Now we stand with Tribes across the United States and all of those who value our beautiful and well-loved public lands from further diminishment at the hands of our government. For the sake of future generations, and in the spirit of stewardship of what has been so carefully passed down to us, I encourage all people of good will to call their elected officials and ask them to keep the Antiquities Act intact and to continue to protect the great riches we have in our national monuments and parks.

To read more of Bishop Rickel's writing, please visit his blog at www.bishoprickel.com.

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