Zinke talks about monuments, Indian relations while in Havre

U.S Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke said Saturday that a review ordered by the U.S Department of Interior of more than two dozen recent monuments established under the Antiquities Act, including the Upper Missouri River Breaks monument, is meant to give communities a say in the process.

"I think, too often, Washington is deaf on giving Montana, states, the local voice, a say, at least a place at the table, so that is what I am doing, " Zinke said while in Havre to give the commencement address at Montana State University-Northern's graduation ceremony Saturday.

President Bill Clinton designated 377,346 acres of land on the Upper Missouri River Breaks as a national monument before he left office in 2001. Although public hearings were scheduled with local residents at the time, the designation was slammed by some as government overreach.

Last week, Zinke annouced the Department of the Interior would have a formal comment period for people to weigh in on the designation of several monuments established since 1996 under the Antiquities Act.

Zinke said Saturday that he has been tasked with reviewing the designation of monuments of 100,000 acres or more that have been established since 1996 to see if the amount of land set aside is the minimum amount needed to protect the monument and whether the designation needs to be modified. He said a thorough review is being done by his office to give people who live near the national monuments being reviewed a chance to comment.

Zinke said the Antiquities Act does give the president singular power to establish a monument without having to go through public debate. However, the Antiquities Act also says that the minimum amount of land needed to protect the monument or historic buildings will be set asside.

The review has drawn opposition.

As Zinke was speaking at Northern's graduation, the Western Values Project paid a mobile advertising company to drive outside the Armory Gymnasium and display a billboard juxtaposing an image of Teddy Roosevelt to an image of Zinke.

Below the image of Roosevelt, who signed the Antiquities Act of 1906, the text on the billboard said Theodore Roosevelt "created our national parks and protected our heritage." To the right an image of Zinke was displayed with the words "Secretary Zinke What are YOU going to do?" printed on the billboard

Joe Moore of My Mobile Billboard and Ad Runner, a mobile advertising company out of Denver, said he was hired by Western Values Project to drive the pickup with the billboard around Havre during Zinke's visit. Moore said he did not want to speak to what the message of his clients was.

In a press release sent out Friday, Chris Saeger, executive director of the Western Values Project, said the process put in place by Zinke's review of monument designations is "a reckless plan to emasculate the Antiquities Act."

"A strong majority of Montanans and Westerners support these cherished lands and the protections provided under a monument designation, but Secretary Zinke is pandering to a handful of special interests that will jeopardize our outdoor heritage," Saeger said in the release. "Secretary Zinke needs to be straight with us about the reasons behind the 'reviews' of the Missouri River Breaks and other national monuments."

Moore said he was getting a lot of positive responses to the billboard.

In his new position, Zinke is also in charge of the federal government's relations with federally recognized Indian tribes.

Zinke said that, since being sworn into office, the response to President Donald Trump's new administration has been "great" and tribes know that the Trump administration is willing to sit down and negotiate in good faith with them.

He said sovereignty of tribes should be "meaningful and have meaning." Zinke said he and the Trump administration will look at ways to better serve Indian Country and meet treaty obligations because, when it comes to services such as providing health care and the Indian education system, tribes have not been well served in the past.