Creation Justice community members who contribute to our Peoples Climate March fund-raising campaign are also honoring people who inspire them with their everyday actions for climate leadership. Below is the list of honorees, in order that they were named. According to the wishes of those who honored them, we will pray for them by name at the Peoples' Climate March.

Bishop Bud Cederholm, Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts
Honored by: Thom Nutt-Powell
Honored because: "He guides the Diocese -- and beyond -- to important Creation Care actions. A man who puts faith into action."

Jason A. Groenewold
Honored by: Pastor Kathryn Franzenburg
Honored because: "Jason is a pioneer, advocate and worker in solar energy."

Dana Nute of Sanbornton, NH
Honored by: Rev. Ruth Martz
Honored because: "Dana Nute is dedicated to goal and the work of making houses and buildings be as energy efficient as possible, on the inside and outside. He works through Resilient Buildings Group in Concord NH, which includes services such as: Energy Audits, Comprehensive and custom energy-centric construction management, Energy Project Monitoring and Verification, Deep Energy Retrofits - 50% energy-use reductions, and High Performance Buildings Consulting, for homes and commercial buildings. He also works for energy-efficiency in our church and parsonage, and wherever he is needed for a consultation. Thanks, Dana, for your tireless and faithful commitment to protecting our environment."

Janet Roberts
Honored by: Judith Gregory

Polly Jenkins Man
Honored by: Judith Hill

Student Conservation Association in Charlestown, NH
Honored by: Lenore Martin

Shantha Ready Alonso
Honored by: Maggie Brevig
Honored because: "You're doing such amazing work and I'm proud of you!"

Patricia Haug
Honored by: Marti Haug

Craig Todd of East Stroudsburg, PA
Honored by: Frances Ferrari
Honored because: During Craig's tenure as director of the Monroe County Conservation District, (34 years, retiring last year), he made sure that development had the least damage to the environment. Since his retirement, he joined the board of the BWA to help ensure that our waterways remain pristine.

Today, the President signed an Executive Order to Review Designations Under the Antiquities Act. People of Christian faith are deeply concerned with this news.

The Antiquities Act of 1906 was first used by President Theodore Roosevelt, a Republican who was famous for his conservation legacy. This law says the "President of the United States is hereby authorized, in his discretion, to declare by public proclamation historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, and other objects of historic or scientific interest that are situated upon the lands owned or controlled by the Government of the United States to be national monuments." Under the Antiquities Act, President Roosevelt's most famous act of conservation was to protect the Grand Canyon. Since then, U.S. Presidents of both political parties have used the Antiquities Act to conserve our nation's natural, cultural, and spiritual heritage.

Christian communities have long been on the record supporting use of the Antiquities Act for conservation. Faith communities have participated in stakeholder meetings, written to their newspapers, and advocated to Congress as well as the Administration regarding conserving God's creation, our history, our culture, and our spirituality through establishing national monuments. Recent examples include support of Bears Ears National Monument, the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, and many others.

Today's Executive Order requires a review of monuments designated after 1996. The majority of national monuments designated after 1996 highlight the stories of diverse communities -- African American, Latino, Asian American, and Native American.

Georges Erasmus, an Aboriginal leader from Canada, once said, “Where common memory is lacking, where people do not share in the same past, there can be no real community. Where community is to be formed, common memory must be created.”

These monuments hold our nation's collective memory. As Secretary Zinke leads the Department of Interior in this review process, it is important that he listen to all the people who treasure these monuments where we learn, play, pray, and build community -- including and especially people whose histories and cultures are highlighted in those monuments.

Today, people active in religious communities in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York and Rhode Island delivered a letter to President Trump and their members of Congress which shared their support and care for the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument. Signers included Rev. Dr. Don Anderson, the Executive Minister of the Rhode Island State Council of Churches and the Reverend Peter M. Cook, Executive Director of the New York State Council of Churches.
 
The letter says, “we believe it is a moral imperative to continue to properly shelter this underwater modern ‘Noah’s ark’ from potential harm.”
 
Religious communities appreciate the historic nature of the first marine monument in the Atlantic Ocean.
The letter declares that religious leaders appreciate the gifts of God’s creation within the monument, and their role in caring for them: “We are committed to doing our part to ensure their good stewardship.”
 
The letter calls on President Trump and Congress to “continue to keep these national monument protections in place --- preserving another piece of God’s beautiful creation for generations to come.”
 
The letter comes as news is breaking about a potential Executive Order the Trump Administration may issue this week, which may call for reconsideration of recently designated national monuments. Religious communities have a long track record of supporting various national monuments, as well as the Antiquities Act of 1906, the law that empowers U.S. Presidents to designate monuments.