National Monuments

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.

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

17 de agosto de 2020

Durante el fin de semana, la administración Trump retiró la nominación de William Perry Pendley para servir como director de la Oficina de Gestión de Terrenos (BLM).

17 de agosto de 2020

Se espera hoy que el Departamento del Interior dé un paso más para celebrar una subasta de arrendamientos en la delicada planicie costera del Refugio Nacional de Vida Silvestre del Artico.

August 4, 2020

WASHINGTON― Sens. Diane Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Steve Daines (R-Mont.) introduced legislation yesterday that would fast-track unsustainable logging, increase wildfire risk and jeopardize community safety. The measure stands in stark contrast to sensible, science-based legislation sponsored by Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), which would help communities in fire-prone areas without backcountry logging.

31 de julio de 2020

La administración Trump emitió hoy una nueva propuesta que limitaría gravemente las protecciones de hábitat de especies en peligro de extinción.

July 23, 2020

Oakland, CA— Sierra magazine’s July/ August edition is now on newsstands and arriving at subscribers’ homes. The issue dives into our ever-evolving relationship with nature and the outdoors. Highlights include: 

July 22, 2020

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, the House of Representatives passed the bipartisan Great American Outdoors Act. The historic bill permanently funds the Land and Water Conservation Fund, guaranteeing $900 million annually for the improvement of our parks. It also provides $9.5 billion over five years to address the nearly $12 billion backlog of maintenance projects across national parks and public lands.

July 21, 2020

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The House today passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Included among the provisions is a requirement that the Pentagon remove Confederate names, references, and symbols from American military bases within three years. Also included are measures to safeguard public lands and Tribal sites from an expanded military bombing range in Nevada, to protect the area around the Grand Canyon from toxic uranium mining, and to expand public lands, recreation and access in California, Colorado and Washington state. 

17 de julio de 2020

La Oficina del Departamento de Seguridad Nacional emitió ayer un detallado informe sobre las grandes fallas en los proyectos de construcción del muro fronterizo de la administración Trump.

July 16, 2020

Late yesterday, in a resounding victory for taxpayers, public health, and the environment, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California invalidated the Trump Administration’s rollback of the Obama-era Waste Prevention Rule.

July 1, 2020

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Tonight, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 2, the Moving Forward Act. In addition to upgrading our crumbling infrastructure to face the increased threats posed by climate change, the $1.5 trillion package includes investments in clean energy, public lands, pipes for safe drinking water, and our transportation system.  In response, Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune released the following statement: