Monumental Conservation

America’s 130 national monuments designate sites that are historically, culturally, ecologically, or scientifically significant. Under the 1906 Antiquities Act, 18 of the past 21 U.S. presidents have added new places to the list. Both natural and man-made, on land and underwater, they are, effectively, national museums with and, more often, without walls. TPL’s advocacy and conservation policy efforts have supported many of these designations. Frequently, we circle back after a monument is created to improve public access by protecting adjacent land. Here are a few recent and notable examples.

Cascade-Siskiyou

Within its 114,000 acres of forest and grassland on the Oregon- California border are nearly 100 dwellings and root-gathering sites—with more likely to be discovered—of the Modoc, Klamath, and Shasta Tribes. In 2021, TPL helped raise funds to protect 6,000-plus nearby acres in Siskiyou County, including 2.5 miles of river habitat and a critical spur connection to the Pacific Crest Trail. | Designated in 2000 by President Clinton

California Coastal

Originally a 1,100-mile string of islands and reefs within 12 miles of California’s coast stretching from Oregon to Mexico, the monument safeguards habitat for seabirds, marine mammals, and fish. President Obama expanded it in 2014, and in 2017 it grew again when TPL safeguarded 7,000 acres of coastline and inland hills by purchasing the Cotoni-Coast Dairies property, which includes Coast Dairies State Park, a unit within the national monument. | Designated in 2000 by President Clinton

Bears Ears

Home to thousands of rock paintings, ancient cliff dwellings, and ceremonial kivas, this monument in present-day Utah is sacred to many Native American Tribes. TPL supported its creation in 2016 and rallied supporters and legislators against a massive reduction that shrank it by 85 percent in 2017. Our advocacy was successful, and in 2021, the original boundaries were restored. | Designated in 2016 by President Obama

Rio Grande del Norte

Its deep gorges, volcanic cones, grassy plains, and mountain peaks are scenic play areas for people and sustaining habitat for elk, mule deer, bighorn sheep, cougars, and black bears. Pit houses, petroglyphs, and other artifacts found here point to prehistoric habitation, and the Jicarilla Apache, Ute, and peoples of the Taos and Picuris Pueblos call it home. TPL has protected 25,000 acres—some before its monument designation and some after—of this unique New Mexico landscape. | Designated in 2013 by President Obama

Pipestone

Named for its soft, red stone that Indigenous peoples have quarried and made into ceremonial pipes for more than 3,000 years, this site is culturally significant to nearly two dozen Tribal nations. In 2007, TPL conserved land adjacent to the monument to protect a nearby signature attraction, Minnesota’s Winnewissa Falls. | Designated in 1937 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt

Katahdin Woods and Waters

In the heart of Penobscot homelands, this monument’s designation recognizes the deep significance of the land to the Indigenous people who have called it home since time immemorial. Now, the Penobscot Nation and TPL are working to restore 30,000 acres of adjacent land—known as Wáhsehtəkʷ—to the Tribe. When completed, it will be one of the largest land returns between a U.S.-based nonprofit and a Tribal nation in recent history and will create much needed southern access to the national monument. | Designated in 2016 by President Obama

Stonewall

The first monument dedicated to telling the story of the LGBTQ+ rights movement, Stonewall is also one of only a few modern, urban structures designated as a national monument. Trust for Public Land helped New York City prepare for the transfer of the property to the National Park Service, paving the way for its permanent protection. | Designated in 2016 by President Obama

George Washington Birthplace

This monument’s significance is right there in its name. Trust for Public Land helped conserve 2,000 acres of the Virginia property and its viewshed, allowing visitors to experience the sights and sounds that would have been familiar to the Washington family and also to the hundreds of enslaved people who lived and worked here when it was a tobacco plantation. Today, its historic importance and rural charm draw visitors who hike nature trails, learn about 18th-century colonial life, and picnic along the Potomac River. Our latest acquisition was just last year, and we have plans to protect 800 more acres. | Designated in 1930 by President Hoover

Alliance for Civil Rights Historic Sites

Across the South, TPL is working to protect, enhance, and activate sites that hold the stories of the Black American experience through our Alliance for Civil Rights Historic Sites. These unique places—including Freedom Riders National Monument in Alabama and Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home National Monument in Mississippi—are being protected for future generations in partnership with the National Park Service, community advocates, and philanthropic leaders. Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home: Designated in 2020 by President Trump | Freedom Riders: Designated in 2017 by President Obama

Deborah Williams is Trust for Public Land’s editorial director. Prior to joining TPL, she spent more than 20 years writing and editing for consumer and trade media in the lifestyle, travel, ski, and outdoor industries.