California National Monuments Courtesy of President Obama
As President Barrack Obama prepares to leave office, questions surround whether or not the president-elect will reverse many of the environmental programs President Obama has established and encouraged during his administration. While we can only wait to see what will happen to programs such as NASA, initiatives like America’s Great Outdoors Initiative and global agreements like the Paris Agreement, we’ve come up with ways to enjoy the fruits of Obama’s labor.
President Obama has designated the most national monuments of any President in the United States. While every President has utilized the Antiquities Act of 1906 – the law that gives the President of the United States the authority to, by presidential proclamation, create national monuments from public lands to protect significant natural, cultural, or scientific features – President Obama set a precedence by designating 24 new National Monuments during his presidency.
“Every president has used the Antiquities Act, and some have used it more than others,” said Theresa Pierno, president of the National Parks Conservation Association, an independent parks advocacy group, told USA Today. “But it is very different, what Obama has done. You’ve started to see his protection of parks that tell very important stories that have been neglected in our history.”
Inspired by President Obama and #OptOutside – an REI campaign that encourages consumers to spend ‘Black Friday’ outside – we’ve highlighted some of the National Monuments you can visit in California. While many of President Obama’s other National Monuments are incredibly significant, such as the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Monument in Maryland, these California sites are nearer, and dearer, to our hearts; especially by bike. For a full list of Obama’s National Monuments visit the wiki page: National Monuments designated by President Barrack Obama
The following national monuments are listed in order of establishment date: