Western Local Elected Officials Celebrate National Monuments in Their Communities and Call on President Biden to Designate More National Monuments
The Mountain Pact, a coalition of local elected officials in over 100 Western mountain communities, released a new report highlighting the conservation and economic benefits of national monuments in states across the West.
The report includes statements and praise from over 50 county commissioners, mayors, and council members, highlighting the importance of the national monuments in their communities and urging the Biden administration to work to designate and protect additional public lands – with spotlights on new national monuments President Biden could designate or expand.
The report points to overwhelming support from Westerners in favor of protecting public lands. According to a 2023 Conservation in the West Poll, 84% of Westerners, including 71% of Republicans, are more likely to support presidents who use their power to protect existing public lands.
The report comes on the heels of President Biden’s designations of five new national monuments in his term so far: Camp Hale-Continental Divide in Colorado; Avi Kwa Ame in Nevada; Castner Range in Texas; Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni - Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon in Arizona; and Emmett and Mamie Till-Mobley in Illinois and Mississippi. President Biden has also restored protections for Bears Ears; Grand Staircase-Escalante; and Northeast Canyons and Seamounts national monuments.
FULL REPORT
INDIVIDUAL STATE PAGES
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