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.

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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Latest News

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Protected Public Lands Are Still the Backbone of America at 250

Public Lands Require Constant Vigilance

You Defended Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument

Press Releases

June 24, 2020

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- On June 22, the U.S. Department of the Interior Office of the Inspector General confirmed they were investigating the forceful dispersal of a peaceful protest affirming Black lives matter from Lafayette Square using tear gas and riot tactics to make way for a photo-op for President Donald Trump at historic St. John’s Episcopal church. Then, later in the day, U.S. Park Police again deployed tear gas and physical force against demonstrators protesting in the park. 

June 17, 2020

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- In a 73-25 vote, the United States Senate overwhelmingly passed the Great American Outdoors Act on June 17. It now awaits consideration by the House of Representatives. The bipartisan bill would permanently fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund, providing funding for conservation and public recreation projects across the country. It would also address the nearly $12 billion maintenance backlog in national parks and other public lands.

June 5, 2020

Boston, MA— Today as the country faces an uprising for racial justice and ongoing pandemic, President Trump announced he will effectively eliminate protections for Northeast Canyons and Seamounts National Monuments in the Atlantic Ocean off the East Coast. The rollback will allow commercial fisheries to operate in the marine sanctuary— home to endangered coral and fish— and comes on World Environment Day.

May 26, 2020

Washington, DC— The Sierra Club secured over 14,437 documents from the Department of the Interior through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), including call logs, meetings and email communications that are now available for the public. Find and search the documents online here. Included in the lowlights are:

May 19, 2020

Reporting from Reuters reveals that the Trump administration has chosen this moment -- in the midst of historic economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic that’s decimating the clean energy industry -- to squeeze clean energy companies for millions of dollars.

May 14, 2020

TUCSON, Arizona— The Trump administration’s latest border wall plan, which would wall off the last jaguar migration paths and bulldoze Arizona’s Sky Island mountains, has drawn opposition from thousands of people across the country.

May 5, 2020

Washington, DC-- Today, Secretary of the Interior Bernhardt officially extended the Bureau of Land Management Acting Director Pendley’s appointment until June 5, 2020.   In response, Lena Moffitt, Director of the Sierra Club’s Our Wild America campaign, released the following statement: 

April 27, 2020

Salt Lake City, UT— Ahead of Utah’s June and September Bureau of Land Management (BLM) oil and gas lease sales, Utah organizations called on BLM Acting State Director Anita Bilbao and Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt to suspend public comment periods, rulemakings, and other actions as communities face the coronavirus crisis. In the letter, the groups noted that, given the current public health crisis, communities are focused on their immediate needs and health— making it difficult to meaningfully participate in the public input process.

February 12, 2020

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Rep. Westerman today introduced the Trillion Trees Act. The bill is one of three components of Republicans’ legislative attempts to address climate change. Trump has endorsed tree planting to fight climate change, despite repeatedly denying the current climate crisis.

February 12, 2020

WASHINGTON, DC— Today, the House of Representatives will vote on the Protecting America’s Wilderness bill that includes the Colorado Wilderness Act— legislation that would safeguard more than 740,000 acres of land located in 33 critical wildlife and ecologically-sensitive areas in Colorado.