[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 36, Number 46 (Monday, November 20, 2000)]
[Page 2835]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Statement on Signing Proclamations for the Vermilion Cliffs and the 
Craters of the Moon National Monuments

November 9, 2000

    Today I am pleased to sign proclamations extending greater 
protection to two irreplaceable pieces of America's natural and cultural 
heritage, the Vermilion Cliffs in northern Arizona and the Craters of 
the Moon in central Idaho. With this action, nearly one million acres of 
unique natural and historic resources already in public ownership are 
fully protected.
    The Vermilion Cliffs monument covers 293,000 acres of Federal land 
on the Colorado Plateau in northern Arizona. Humans have explored and 
lived on this geologic treasure since the earliest known hunters and 
gatherers crossed the area 12,000 or more years ago. California condors, 
desert bighorn sheep, pronghorn antelope, mountain lion, and other 
mammals roam the canyons and plateaus.
    The expansion of the Craters of the Moon monument, originally 
created by President Coolidge in 1924, adds 661,000 acres of volcanic 
craters, cones, lava flows, caves, and fissures of the 65-mile-long 
Great Rift, a geological feature that is comparable to the great rift 
zones of Iceland and Hawaii.
    With these proclamations, this administration continues its 
commitment to preserving and restoring America's natural treasures, from 
the Florida Everglades to the California redwoods, for this and future 
generations.

Note: This item was not received in time for publication in the 
appropriate issue.