[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.