I was stunned to receive a breaking-news alert stating that President Trump had ordered Lake Ontario to be renamed “Lake America” in the United States.

As Americans, we should ask a simple question: Should any president have the power to erase the historic name of one of the Great Lakes simply because of a temporary political dispute?

Lake Ontario is part of America’s own history, geography and identity. For generations, Americans in New York and across the Great Lakes region have known it by this name. It appears in our maps, schools, businesses, tourism industry, environmental programs and family histories.

The name Ontario is also rooted in Indigenous language and history that predates the United States itself. Replacing it does not strengthen America. It removes a piece of the history that helped shape this country.

Patriotism does not require rewriting history.

Lake Ontario stretches along the northern border of New York State and is one of the five Great Lakes — one of the greatest freshwater systems on Earth. American communities including Rochester, Oswego and countless smaller towns have built their economies, identities and traditions around Lake Ontario.

Changing its name would accomplish little while creating unnecessary confusion for maps, navigation systems, businesses, tourism agencies, schools, historical records and government institutions.

More importantly, this sets a troubling precedent.

If the historic name of one of America’s Great Lakes can be changed by one administration for political reasons, what historic American landmark could be next?

Presidents serve temporary terms. America’s geography and history belong to generations of Americans.

Major geographic names — particularly those with centuries of history and Indigenous significance — should not become political trophies. Changes of this magnitude deserve public consultation, historical review, expert scrutiny and the involvement of the Americans who actually live in the affected communities.

This is not about being anti-American.

It is precisely because we value American history that we should protect it.

We therefore call on the President, Congress, the U.S. Board on Geographic Names, New York’s elected representatives, mapping companies and other institutions to reject the name “Lake America” and preserve Lake Ontario as the sole official name used in the United States.

Republican, Democrat, Independent or politically unaffiliated — Americans should be able to agree that our country’s historic geography should not be rewritten whenever political tensions change.

Keep Lake Ontario.

Respect its Indigenous history.

Protect American history.

Tell Washington that our Great Lakes are not political bargaining chips.

Sign this petition and demand that Lake Ontario remain Lake Ontario — now and for generations to come.