September 20, 2021
FOR PLANNING PURPOSES
National Monuments
National Monuments
Protecting existing monuments, expanding these cherished spaces, and fighting for new monuments is an important piece of Sierra Club's conservation work.
Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument
What is a national monument?
National monuments are lands and waters designated for permanent protection by the federal government. They include areas of important natural, cultural, and historic resources, from geological wonders to sacred Indigenous landscapes to sites that have shaped the history of the United States.
Unlike national parks, which only Congress can designate, national monuments can either be established by the President under the authority of the 1906 Antiquities Act or by an act of Congress.
The United States has over 130 national monuments that are managed by federal agencies. While most are managed by the National Park Service, some are managed by other agencies like the US Forest Service, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Bureau of Land Management.
Canyon of the Ancients National Monument
Why are monuments important?
National monuments are protected lands, waters, or historic sites that safeguard our natural, cultural, scientific, and historic resources and legacies. They are an important tool for protecting public lands and waters for generations to come.
National monuments are also part of our response to the climate crisis. Conserving 30 percent of US lands and waters by 2030 will protect the air we breathe, water we drink, and provide a powerful climate solution. Preserving wildlands will protect vital habitats for imperiled species and save more places to connect with nature. Safeguarding places of cultural and historical significance will help honor the stories, sites, and landscapes that make us who we are.
33
states with national monuments
18
presidents have designated monuments
National monuments protect geologic, marine, archaeological, and cultural sites
Protecting wild places will keep drilling and logging from polluting our air and water, and suck existing climate pollution out of the air. Creating national monuments is one of the best ways to protect public lands and preserve homes for wildlife and opportunities for people to enjoy the outdoors together.
What We Are Doing
Paria Rimrocks, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah
The Sierra Club has been pivotal in the conservation and expansion of national monuments for more than a century, reflecting a broader commitment to preserving natural landscapes, combating climate change, and ensuring everyone’s history and connections to US lands are honored and celebrated.
Right now, Donald Trump, the billionaires who bought access to him, and their allies in Congress are waging an all-out assault on our parks and public lands, firing thousands of federal workers who steward these landscapes, shredding conservation protections for fragile ecosystems and places, and seeking to overturn more than a century's worth of conservation history. Their goal is to give public lands to corporate polluters and billionaires to mine, drill, log, and pollute as they please — activities that effectively block access to public lands for everyday people.
We must use every tool at our disposal, from the courts to pressuring our leaders to collective action, to stop this polluter giveaway. Every victory we've won to protect the places we hold dear has been thanks to the grassroots support of advocates like you who have written a letter, called your legislators, attended an event, posted on social media, talked to friends and family, donated, and so much more.
What You Can Do
Congress: Urge the Trump Admin to Protect Existing National Monuments
Tell Congress to urge the Trump Administration to not attack national monument designations. Send your message today!
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Press Releases
18 de agosto de 2021
La Casa Blanca anunció hoy que el Presidente Biden seleccionó a Charles F. Sams III para servir como el decimonoveno director permanente del Servicio Nacional de Parques (NPS).
August 18, 2021
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, the White House announced that President Joe Biden selected Charles F. Sams III to serve as the nineteenth permanent director of the National Park Service. Sams currently serves as a council member to the Northwest Power and Conservation Council, a position he was appointed to by Oregon Gov. Kate Brown. If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Sams would be the first Indigenous person to lead NPS. Sams has an extensive background working with Tribal Nations throughout the Pacific Northwest.
August 3, 2021
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- On the one-year anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) becoming law, the Sierra Club called on Congress and President Biden to build on the law’s base and take big, bold action in order to secure a livable and sustainable future.
20 de julio de 2021
Del 17 al 25 de julio, el Sierra Club se unirá a las celebraciones de la Semana de Conservación Latina —una serie de eventos patrocinados por la Hispanic Access Foundation para promocionar el acceso a la naturaleza de la comunidad latina y participar en actividades que protejan los recursos naturales.
July 20, 2021
Oakland, CA— From July 17-25, 2021, Sierra Club will join Latino Conservation Week celebrations— a week of events sponsored by the Hispanic Access Foundation to support the Latino community getting into the outdoors and participating in activities to protect our natural resources. This year’s celebrations focus on heightening awareness on the need for climate action to protect the natural world, access to the outdoors, and communities.
July 8, 2021
Washington, DC— The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources will vote next week on the confirmation of Tracy Stone-Manning as Director of the Bureau of Land Management. Last month, more than 100 local and national conservation organizations sent a letter to the Senate urging support for her confirmation. Read the letter here, and watch the live stream of the vote here.
June 28, 2021
Oakland, CA— As part of its 125-year journey, Sierra —the national magazine of Sierra Club, the most enduring and influential grassroots environmental organization in the United States—has unveiled a dynamic redesign.
June 16, 2021
Monroe, LA— Yesterday, a federal judge temporarily blocked the Biden administration's pause on new oil and gas leasing on public lands and offshore. The court’s preliminary injunction, which applies to Department of the Interior leasing nationwide, harms efforts to rapidly transition the nation away from fossil fuels and stave off the worst effects of climate change, including catastrophic droughts, floods and wildfires.
8 de junio de 2021
Hoy, el 115 aniversario de la Ley de Antigüedades, el Sierra Club instó a la administración Biden a priorizar esta protección fundamental para salvaguardar sitios históricos y culturales, detener la pérdida de biodiversidad y luchar contra la crisis climática.