Conserving 30 percent of U.S. 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. And safeguarding places of cultural and historical significance will help honor the stories, sites, and landscapes that make us who we are.
The Antiquities Act gives the President the power to protect important lands and waters in the United States as national monuments. Creating new monuments and expanding existing ones is not just crucial for preserving the legacy of the country for generations to come, but is also one of the best actions to achieve our 30 by 30 goal.
Right now, Sierra Club local and national staff and volunteers are working to support locally and Tribally-led monumental proposals that President Biden should act on in 2024. Together these efforts would safeguard ecologically and culturally significant desert landscapes and forests, critical water sources, sites commemorating Black and Indigenous history, and places integral for access to nature. These include:
- Great Bend of the Gila in Arizona
- Chuckwalla and lands adjacent to Joshua Tree National Park, Kw'tsán, and Sáttítla in California
- Dolores Canyons in Colorado
- Black Wall Street in Oklahoma
- Bahsahwahbee in Nevada
- Owyhee Canyonlands in Oregon
- Mimbres Peaks in New Mexico
- Frances Perkins in Maine
It's time to permanently protect more treasured landscapes of this country and the historical and cultural sites that tell the diverse stories of our nation. Across the country, Tribes, local elected officials, civil rights leaders, local businesses, faith leaders, veterans, and community members are calling on President Biden to designate more places as national monuments.
Will you join them? Act now, and don't forget to add a comment now about why new and expanded national monuments matter to you.
