Through the efforts and support of many, including citizens, local businesses and government, and the League of Women Voters of the San Juans, our voices have been heard in the “other” Washington. Under the 1906 Antiquities Act, Theodore Roosevelt designated the Olympic National Monument.  Following in the footsteps of Roosevelt and other presidents since then, President Obama designated nearly 1,000 acres in the San Juan Islands as a National Monument Monday.

The League of Women Voters would like to take this opportunity to thank the president for making this designation and Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar for supporting this decision. We would also like to recognize our legislators who were proactive in moving this decision forward: Maria Cantwell, Patty Murray, Rick Larsen and U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., whose newly redrawn 1st District includes nearby Lummi Island. The League of Women Voters believes in the protection of areas of critical environmental concern, natural hazards, historical importance and aesthetic value and strongly supports this designation.

League of Women Voters