July, 10 2015, 10:00am EDT
Basin and Range, Berryessa Snow Mountain, and Waco Mammoth to Become Nation's Next National Monuments
The Sierra Club praised today's news that President Obama will designate three new national monuments: Basin and Range in Nevada, Berryessa Snow Mountain in California, and Waco Mammoth in Texas.
Basin and Range, composed of 704,000 acres, is located in the Garden and Coral Valleys of Nevada. The new monument is home to stunning mountain ranges, unique plants and animals, and is the ancestral homeland of Native Americans and the resting place for many historical and cultural artifacts.
WASHINGTON
The Sierra Club praised today's news that President Obama will designate three new national monuments: Basin and Range in Nevada, Berryessa Snow Mountain in California, and Waco Mammoth in Texas.
Basin and Range, composed of 704,000 acres, is located in the Garden and Coral Valleys of Nevada. The new monument is home to stunning mountain ranges, unique plants and animals, and is the ancestral homeland of Native Americans and the resting place for many historical and cultural artifacts.
Stretching just under 331,000 acres, from California's Lake Berryessa to the Snow Mountain Wilderness, Berryessa Snow Mountain is home to breathtaking views, and rare plants and animals, including bald eagles. The monument also features a 5,000-year-old archaeological site and was home to four different Native American tribes.
Waco Mammoth is a paleontological site and museum in Waco, Texas, and is home to the fossils of 24 Columbian mammoths -- the largest known concentration of mammoth fossils.
Combined, these three monuments total over one million acres -- nearly doubling the public lands protected as national monuments under President Obama.
In response, Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune released the following statement:
"The Sierra Club applauds President Obama's historic and unprecedented actions today. By utilizing the Antiquities Act to designate Berryessa Snow Mountain, Basin and Range, and Waco Mammoth, he has continued to add to our nation's outdoor legacy.
"By designating these new monuments, President Obama has ensured that these beautiful, historic landscapes will continue to benefit local communities for generations to come.
"It's really welcoming to see President Obama once again reward the efforts of the hundreds of people over the years who have given their passion, time, and toil to protecting our public lands."
The Sierra Club is the most enduring and influential grassroots environmental organization in the United States. We amplify the power of our 3.8 million members and supporters to defend everyone's right to a healthy world.
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