Monument Park

There are 130 protected areas in the United States known as national monuments. The President of the United States can establish a national monument by presidential proclamation, and the United States Congress can do so by legislation. The president's authority arises from the Antiquities Act of 1906, which authorizes the president to proclaim historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, and other objects of historic or scientific interest as national monuments. Concerns about protecting mostly prehistoric Indian ruins and artifacts—collectively termed antiquities—on western federal lands prompted the legislation. Its purpose was to allow the president to quickly preserve public land without waiting for legislation to pass through an unconcerned Congress. The ultimate goal was to protect all historic and prehistoric sites on U.S. federal lands.President Theodore Roosevelt established the first national monument, Devils Tower in Wyoming, on September 24, 1906. He established 18 national monuments, although only nine still retain that designation. Sixteen presidents have created national monuments since the program began; only Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, and George H. W. Bush did not. Bill Clinton created nineteen and expanded three others. Jimmy Carter protected vast parts of Alaska, proclaiming fifteen national monuments, some of which later were promoted to national parks. President Barack Obama created or expanded 34 national monuments, the most of any president, with over half a billion acres of public land and water protected.National monuments are located in 32 states as well as in the District of Columbia, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, the Minor Outlying Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands. Arizona, with 18, has the largest number of national monuments, followed by California with 17 and New Mexico with 14. At least 65 national monuments protect places of natural significance, including 12 geological sites, seven marine sites, and five volcanic sites. Twenty-three national monuments have major sites associated with Native Americans, while 34 are other historical sites, including twelve forts. Many former national monuments have been redesignated as national parks or another status by Congress, while others have been transferred to state control or disbanded.
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