Preservation and Tourism: The Story of National Parks and Monuments
Montes, Amber; Smith, Liz; Rugh, Susan
Abstract
The Antiquities Act was passed on June 8, 1906. The Act enables the president to restrict the use of public land owned by the federal government for national monuments without getting congressional approval. The Act limits the land to the smallest area that will allow for proper care. This has been broadly interpreted and has caused much controversy. The Act has been enabled more than 100 times. In August of 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed a bill that created the National Parks Service. The act charged the agency to “conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects . . . and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.” Today there are 58 national parks in the United States.