Trump to attend opening of Roosevelt library amid overturning conservation efforts

Theodore Roosevelt protected swathes of land, while Trump has lifted them from more than 86m acres

Donald Trump will attend a ribbon cutting for the new Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library on Wednesday, touting the legacy of a president his own administration is attempting to destroy, critics say.

While in office from 1901 to 1909, Roosevelt established five new national parks, protected swaths of land and passed legislation enabling himself and future presidents to proclaim historic landmarks and other objects of historic or scientific interest in federal ownership as national monuments.

By contrast, Trump’s administration is removing protections for wildlife, critics say.

While in office, for instance, Doug Burgum, Trump’s interior secretary, has rolled back safeguards under the Endangered Species Act , as well as protections for migratory birds and swathes of federal waters.

“Roosevelt believed that preserving America’s natural heritage and outdoors birthright was a sacred obligation,” said Jayson O’Neill, spokesperson for conservation campaign Save Our Parks. “Doug Burgum is destroying that heritage for Trump’s whims, allies, and political donors.”

The Guardian has contacted the interior department and White House for comment.

The Trump administration has also moved to lift protections from more than 86m acres of public lands, an analysis by the liberal thinktank Center for American Progress (CAP) found this week. The removed safeguards will open untouched forests to development, expose habitat-rich landscapes in Alaska to oil drilling, and put unique wilderness areas such as Minnesota’s Boundary Waters at risk of contamination, the authors say. The land losing protections is equivalent in size to more than 70 Grand Canyons or 38 Yellowstone National Parks, they found.

Roosevelt conserved nearly 230m acres of public lands. But when combined with the actions he undertook during his first term, Trump has moved to lift protections from more than 100m acres of land, the Center for American Progress calculated.

“As millions of Americans celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary this summer by visiting national parks, forests, and monuments, the country’s rich conservation legacy is being erased,” said Sam Zeno, senior policy analyst for Conservation Policy at CAP and co-author of the report. “Despite overwhelming public support for conserving the nation’s shared resources, President Trump is putting these lands and waters at risk.”

Trump’s 1 July Roosevelt library opening in Medora, North Dakota, comes as part of his Freedom 250 tour, a series of events marking the nation’s 250th anniversary that has drawn criticism over its corporate sponsorships.

One mile away from the library sits Theodore Roosevelt national park, which faces staffing cuts thanks to the Trump administration’s rollbacks.

“No photo op will change the damage Trump and Burgum are doing to the wildlife, lands, and parks Roosevelt fought to protect for all Americans,” said O’Neill.