Since coming into office, President Obama has put his stamp on 22 new national monuments, ranging from the Harriet Tubman Underground Railway National Monument in Maryland to the San Juan Islands National Monument along the Washington state coast. These areas preserve historic sites, wildlife habitat, spectacular scenery, and recreational land for the use of all Americans.
Which, naturally, means that it’s one of those Obama things that really, really irritates ultra-conservatives. But before any collection of bearded dudes gathers to conduct a takeover of the beautiful Mohave Trails National Monument, the even more gorgeous California Coastal National Monument, or the really a burr under conservative’s skin César E. Chávez National Monument, they might want to check out one thing ...
The national monuments that President Obama has created or expanded are generating more than $156 million in local economic activity annually, according to a study published Wednesday.
The report, which was conducted by Colorado-based BBC Research and Consulting on behalf of an organization representing small businesses, looked at the economic activity of out-of-town visitors traveling at least 60 miles to their destinations. It found that the impact to the local workforce of such non-local visitor spending is equivalent to supporting 1,820 jobs.
“Too often, we only view land as valuable when it is being developed, mined, drilled or logged,” U.S. Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) said in a statement. “But, as this report shows, we can protect the most magnificent areas of our nation while also providing real opportunities for local economies.”
There isn’t as much chance to say this as there should be, but—what Harry Reid said. Conservatives seem to view the utility of land in how quickly it can be sold off, chewed up, and thrown away. But by keeping these lands in public hands, Obama has not only gifted the nation with places of beauty and historical value, he has also delivered sources of lasting revenue to local economies. Long after mining or fracking cease to deliver any dollars, these places will go on providing not just revenue, but fresh air, peaceful settings, and simple majesty.
And actually, the most far flung of Obama’s new monuments isn’t even on the West Coast. It’s the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument where you need to don a snorkel to see the best views.