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

December 13, 2017

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- According to reports, Sen. Murkowski has confirmed that a provision opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling is included in the final tax scheme proposal. The provision would effectively remove the sensitive coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from the refuge system, opening the entire 1.5 million acres to drilling. The provision ignores the importance of the area to the Gwich’in Nation, as well as a host of environmental safeguards, and cost realities that make raising the estimated revenue from drilling in the Arctic Refuge nearly…

December 12, 2017

If passed, this bill will certify President Trump’s proposed reduction to one of the two Utah monuments under attack.

December 10, 2017

Reporting by CNN today reveals that Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke is pushing for a road to be built through the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. The road would be the first constructed through a Wilderness area, and marks the latest in a long string of decisions by the Interior Department to roll back protections for wild places.

December 5, 2017

WASHINGTON, D.C. --  Today, Interior Secretary Zinke finally released full recommendations for the future of the country’s national monuments. The recommendations follow a sham review by Secretary Zinke and call for reductions to Gold Butte and Cascade-Siskiyou National Monuments, while recommending a rollback of protections for six of other monuments, opening them to destructive resource extraction.

December 5, 2017

Northern California, Southern Oregon-- Today, Secretary of the Interior Zinke released recommendations to drastically cut the boundaries of Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument.The Cascade-Siskiyou Monument is home to a vast diversity of wildlife and plant species. The decision comes after the Department of the Interior received more than 2.8 million public comments-- of which 98% of people urged for their current and future protection. The recommendation adds to the single biggest attack on public lands and wildlife in America’s history.  

December 5, 2017

Las Vegas, NV-- Today, Sec. of the Interior Zinke unveiled his appalling  National Monuments recommendation for Gold Butte National Monument. His calls for a shrinking of Gold Butte National Monument-- leaving the land vulnerable for more development-- changes that will damage this unique and irreplaceable landscape.

December 4, 2017

Trump is creating severe uncertainty for our communities-- risking jobs and economic revenue.

December 4, 2017

Trump has completely disrespected Native American history and culture.

December 4, 2017

The Antiquities Act does not give the President the legal authority to eliminate or reduce a national monument.

December 4, 2017

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, President Trump eliminated protections for vast portions of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments in Utah, effectively abolishing the two monuments. The proclamation repeals 85% of the Bears Ears National Monument and cuts Grand Staircase-Escalante by almost half.