From cliff dwellings and rock art sites in Bears Ears, to slot canyons and dinosaur bones in Grand Staircase-Escalante, national monuments on the Colorado Plateau protect an incredible heritage of landscapes, artifacts, and resources. Join us in our work to permanently safeguard these treasures for the benefit of all.
Four years after President Trump unlawfully shrunk Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante, President Biden restored protections to these two national monuments. Send a thank you note to President Biden ›
National parks, national monuments, national forests, national preserves — confused?
There is a lot of misinformation when it comes to national monument designations. Who designates them? How are they different from national parks? What protections do monument designations afford, and what restrictions do they impose?
In 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt signed the Antiquities Act into law. This law makes the destruction of archaeological sites on federal lands and the removal of artifacts from them punishable offenses. It also gives sitting presidents the authority to protect objects of historic or scientific interest by declaring them national monuments. National monuments are composed solely of federal lands. Monument designations do not take lands away from states or private individuals.
In the 100+ years of the Antiquities Act, nearly every president — Republican and Democrat — has used the Antiquities Act to create more than 125 national monuments protecting cliff dwellings, volcanoes, fossils, coral reefs, and more. Many national parks, including the Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce, Capital Reef, Arches, and Petrified Forest started as national monuments before being elevated to park status.
National monuments are yours to play in, pray in, and share in. They protect some of our country’s most amazing landscapes and cultural resources and are protected for the benefit of all. Start exploring ›
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is known for its staircase, a series of colorful rock layers that step up through geologic time.
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Help preserve cultural sites and protect forests, birds, creeks, and canyons from threats like cattle grazing and clearcutting.
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