Photo by Kerri Pang. Latino Heritage Month outing event. Celebrating the wins of the coalition and calling on the Harris-Biden Administration to expand the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument.
We talk about protecting public lands and expanding national monuments a lot at the Sierra Club, so we decided it was time to do a deep dive into what we mean! Here are some of the most common questions we get about what public lands and monuments are and why we need to protect them.
Q: What exactly are public lands?
A: Public lands are outdoor spaces and historic sites that are overseen by government agencies for the public—you and me. These places are also the homelands of many Indigenous peoples. More and more, Tribal nations are collaborating with government agencies as part of their continued stewardship of these landscapes.
Q: Are these lands being threatened?
A: Yes! While some public lands are safeguarded, the majority are open to drilling, mining, logging, and other harmful practices—which corporations are seeking to expand. Impacts from climate change, vandalism, and poor management also threaten their future. Protecting more public lands from destructive development is integral to solving the ongoing extinction and climate crises, increasing equitable access to nature, and ensuring historical and cultural lands are honored and celebrated.
Q: What are we doing about it?
A: Sierra Club chapters and volunteers are supporting locally and Tribally-led efforts across the country to urge President Biden to designate more public lands as national monuments in 2024. Protecting public lands as national monuments will keep drilling and logging from polluting our air, filter out existing pollutants, protect wildlife, and safeguard cultural landscapes and historic sites.
Take action to protect and expand national monuments now!
Q: What are national monuments?
A: National monuments are significant lands and waters designated for permanent protection. Unlike national parks, which only Congress can designate, monuments can either be established by Congress or by the President under the authority of the 1906 Antiquities Act. National monuments can only be created on land that is already federally managed.
Q: What other types of public lands are there?
A: At a federal level, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), U.S. Forest Service (USFS), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), National Park Service (NPS), as well as other agencies all manage hundreds of acres of protected lands. Different classifications of lands we're working to protect include national and state parks and preserves, national forests, national conservation areas, wilderness areas, national recreation areas, as well as protected seashores and lakeshores. Read more about what each classification means here.
Q: Why do parks, monuments, and wilderness areas matter so much?
A: Protected public land provides open space and clean water for our communities, critical habitats for native plants and animals, and connections to our history and culture. They are also the last stronghold for many threatened ecosystems, especially for species such as bears and bighorn sheep that need room to roam. These lands provide our families with the opportunities to get outside and recreate. They're also a critical climate solution! Scientists say we must protect 30 percent of lands by 2030 to cut carbon pollution while fighting the climate and extinction crises.
Q: How are protected lands a climate solution?
A: Scientists say that we need to preserve existing wild space and protect a LOT more nature in order to solve the climate and extinction crises. If we can protect 30 percent of our lands and waters by 2030 (30x30), we will cut the levels of harmful carbon pollution and conserve essential wildlife habitat for future generations.
Q: What specific National Monuments are we fighting for right now?
A: Sierra Club chapters and volunteers are supporting locally and tribally-led efforts throughout the country that President Biden could designate in 2024. These include expanding the San Gabriel Mountains and Berryessa Snow Mountain national monuments in California, and establishing new monuments to protect Great Bend of the Gila in Arizona; Chuckwalla and lands adjacent to Joshua Tree, Kw'tsán, and Sáttítla - Medicine Lake Highlands, and Kw'tsán in California; Dolores Canyons in Colorado; the site of the 1908 Springfield Race Massacre in Illinois; and Bahsahwahbee in Nevada.
Q: How do we get to 30 percent of land protected by 2030?
A: Right now, dirty fuel extraction on public lands is polluting our earth and tipping the climate scale towards disaster. Development on public lands also destroys critical wildlife habitat and can cut off paths for animals to move freely across a landscape. But there is a clear path to reaching 30x30. A key piece of the puzzle is for federal, state, and local agencies to designate more parks, which includes expanding and creating new national monuments.
Q: Should I visit more public lands and parks?
A: Absolutely! Spending time in nature -- and introducing your friends and family to your favorite outdoor spaces -- reminds us of the value of the parks and other outdoors spaces we're trying to preserve. You can get outside by hiking, biking, fishing, picnicking, climbing and much more. Just be sure to leave no trace when exploring your favorite nearby nature. Get outdoors with your local chapter today.
Q: I learned so much! Now, what can I do?