On March 21, President Biden issued proclamations creating two national monuments in Nevada and Texas. The Avi Kwa Ame National Monument, which lies within Clark County, Nevada, will preserve land with religious and cultural significance to Tribal nations in the region. The Castner Range National Monument will protect a swath of mountainous terrain within El Paso County, Texas that had been previously used as an Army artillery range and testing ground. Together, the two new national monuments preserve over 500,000 acres of public lands.

The Antiquities Act of 1906 provides the President with the authority to create national monuments on federal land to protect landscapes and natural features with historical, cultural, or social significance confined to the smallest compatible area. The President’s proclamation brings the total number of national monuments to 133.

In addition to the two new designations, the White House also directed federal agencies to undertake a study into a proposed marine sanctuary southwest of Hawaii large enough to meet the administration’s objective to conserve 30 percent of the nation’s waters by 2030, a cornerstone of the White House’s 30 by 30 plan.

As stewards of public lands and partners to federal land management agencies, county governments support efforts to provide transparency and accountability in the designation of national monuments. NACo supports designations of federal lands that are approved by county governments and supported by stakeholders in the area in which the designations are proposed. In cases where such state and local government approvals have been obtained, continued federal coordination and consultation with state, county, and tribal governments and consistency with their natural resource management plans should be required to the maximum extent allowed by law.

Both impacted counties have voiced approval for the two national monuments. On March 1, El Paso County's Commissioners Court passed a resolution supporting the White House's designation of Castner Range National Monument. Clark County's Board of Commissioners passed a similar resolution in February, supporting the creation of Avi Kwa Ame National Monument and celebrating the ecological and cultural importance of the landscape to the county and its communities.

Counties will continue to engage with federal partners on the Avi Kwa Ame and Castner Range National Monuments and other federal land management issues. NACo will keep members informed of any developments.