Avi Kwa Ame covered in winter snow. (Photo courtesy Alan O’Neill.)
I was dumbfounded and deeply disappointed when I learned that Nevada Congressman Mark Amodei introduced legislation aimed at gutting the historic 1906 Antiquities Act. Having worked on public lands issues for nearly 60 years and participated in countless conservation campaigns and Antiquities Act designations across the country, I can say with confidence: this is a move that does not serve the people of Nevada.
I’ve seen firsthand how the Antiquities Act is a critical, bipartisan tool that empowers the public—our communities—to help preserve irreplaceable natural and cultural resources for future generations.
The Antiquities Act authorizes the President of the United States to designate national monuments on federal lands that contain historic landmarks, prehistoric structures, or other objects of historical, natural, or scientific significance. It gives Presidents the authority to act swiftly to protect vulnerable natural, cultural, and historic treasures. Without this authority, many of America’s most treasured places — including the Grand Canyon-Parashant, Bain Range, and Gold Butte National Monuments — would have remained unprotected. In my opinion, the Antiquities Act is the most important conservation legislation ever passed by Congress.
A recent example close to home is the designation of Avi Kwa Ame National Monument in southern Clark County. This is a prime illustration of how the Antiquities Act allows everyday people—folks like you and me—to have a direct voice in influencing federal land protections.
My involvement with Avi Kwa Ame dates back to the 1990s when I served as Superintendent of Lake Mead National Recreation Area. During that time, we succeeded in getting Avi Kwa Ame (the Mojave name for Spirit Mountain) designated as a Traditional Cultural Property and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This designation was the result of years of consultation with the 12 affiliated Tribal Nations, recognizing the deep spiritual significance of this sacred place. For the 10 Yuman-speaking tribes, Avi Kwa Ame is directly tied to their creation story and remains their most sacred site.
But the Traditional Cultural Property designation was just the beginning. For decades, efforts continued to protect the larger cultural landscape and its unique ecological values. These efforts culminated in a citizen-driven initiative—the Honor Avi Kwa Ame campaign—aimed at securing permanent protection as a National Monument.
This campaign was grassroots democracy at its finest. It wasn’t driven by government agencies or outside interests; it was led by everyday Nevadans, backed by a broad and diverse coalition of organizations. This wasn’t the typical “us versus them” battle we often see in public land debates. Instead, it was an inclusive process, open to all voices, transparent at every step, and more thoroughly vetted than any conservation initiative I’ve ever been part of.
The coalition leveraged social media, participated in countless community events, engaged civic organizations, and conducted ground and aerial tours of the monument area for public officials, tribal leaders, and media. We presented at Town Advisory Boards, the Nevada State Legislature, the Clark County Commission, and multiple City Councils. Unlike many top-down conservation efforts, this one was built from the ground up, shaped by the voices of those who call Nevada home. We even knocked on doors in rural communities, having honest, face-to-face conversations with residents about the proposal.
The result? Over 160,000 private citizens signed a petition supporting the monument designation. More than 100 conservation and civic organizations signed a joint letter to President Biden advocating for it. The entire Nevada Congressional delegation—except Congressman Amodei—strongly supported the designation.
Support came from all corners of the state: the Nevada State Legislature, the Clark County Board of County Commissioners, the Boulder City and Henderson City Councils, the Searchlight and Laughlin Town Advisory Boards, the Nevada Outdoor Business Coalition, and multiple Chambers of Commerce, including Boulder City and Laughlin. Even the Laughlin Tourism Commission and the Asian Community Development Council voiced their support.
Tribal support was equally strong. Resolutions and letters of support poured in from the Fort Mojave Indian Tribe, the Inter-Tribal Council of Nevada (representing 27 tribes), the Inter-Tribal Council of Arizona (21 tribes), the Moapa Band of Paiutes, the Las Vegas Band of Paiutes, the Colorado River Tribes, the Las Vegas Indian Center, and student organizations like the UNLV Native American Student Association and the Native American Alliance at CSN.
This was truly a community-driven effort to protect Nevada’s precious public lands. So why is Congressman Amodei ignoring the will of his constituents? What’s motivating Congressman Amodei to take such an anti-public stance? He’s certainly not representing the interests of Southern Nevada or the overwhelming majority of Nevadans who supported this designation.