    [Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 36, Number 22 (Monday, June 5, 2000)]
    [Page 1257]
    [Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    <R04>
    Statement on the Secretary of the Interior's Recommendation for the
    Creation of New National Monuments

    May 31, 2000

        I am pleased to receive Secretary Babbitt's recommendations today
    for the creation of new national monuments to protect unique Federal
    lands in Arizona, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington.
        As trustee of much of our Nation's natural endowment, the Federal
    Government must do its utmost to ensure lasting protection of our most
    precious lands. That is why I asked the Secretary to identify Federal
    lands most in need of additional protection and why I have exercised my
    authority under the Antiquities Act to grant such protection to some of
    our most cherished landscapes--from California's ancient sequoias to the
    North Rim of the Grand Canyon.
        Each of the areas recommended today represents an exceptional,
    irreplaceable piece of America's natural and cultural heritage. I will
    carefully consider the recommendations and hope to reach a decision on
    them in the near future.