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
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
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.
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presidents have designated monuments
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.
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.
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Send My MessageThe Interior Department terminated six committees, including the Advisory Committee on Reconciliation in Place Names, which was established to support efforts to rename federal geographic features or places with racist, offensive and derogatory names.
SALT LAKE CITY — On Tuesday, January 14, the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service finalized a Resource Management Plan for Bears Ears National Monument. The plan marks a historic achievement for implementing Tribal collaborative management to preserve one of the country's largest national monuments.
Yesterday, President Biden signed the Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences (EXPLORE) Act into law. Sierra Club Executive Director Ben Jealous releases the following statement.
Yesterday, Donald Trump announced the nomination of Doug Burgum to serve as Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior. Burgum is the current governor of North Dakota.
BURNEY, Calif. -- Today, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Laphonza Butler (both D-Calif.) announced they will introduce legislation to establish a new Sáttítla National Monument in the national forests of northeast California. Padilla and Butler were also joined by Rep. Adam Schiff in a letter calling on the Biden Administration to use the Antiquities Act to permanently protect these lands.
Phoenix, AZ – Today, Sierra Club celebrated the one-year anniversary of President Biden’s designation of the Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni – Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument.
NEVADA — On June 12th, the Senate Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining, chaired by Senator Cortez-Masto (D-NV) will receive testimony about the proposed Southern Nevada Economic Development and Conservation Act (SNEDCA), commonly known as the Clark County Lands Bill.
NEVADA — During the evening of May 8, the House of Representatives passed the Mining Regulatory Clarity Act, a harmful bill that walks back environmental protections, threatening the health of communities and negatively impacting public lands.
State Leaders Urge Swift Action to Conserve Public Lands, Preserve Cultural Resources, and Protect Wildlife Habitat
Phoenix, AZ – After prioritizing extractive industries for the past 40 years, today the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released its final “Public Lands Rule” to balance and uphold its multiple-use mission.
