For immediate release: May 31, 2000

Contact: Mike Gauldin/John Wright (202) 208-6416

Babbitt makes monument recommendations to President Clinton

Four landscapes proposed for protection as national monuments

Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt today sent recommendations to President Clinton that four unique areas of federal land be considered for protection under the Antiquities Act.

The proposed national monuments would be located on lands currently managed by the federal government in Arizona, Colorado, Oregon and Washington.

"These are priceless natural landscapes that have somehow remained almost untouched by exploitation, development and urban sprawl," said Babbitt. "But we are losing open spaces ever day. Protection of several of these areas, in one form or another, has been discussed for years, but no action has been taken. We may not have another chance before they are lost, so I am urging the President to protect these unique landscapes now for future generations of Americans."

Ironwood Forest -The proposed Ironwood Forest National Monument is 25 miles from Tucson, Arizona, and west of Saguaro National Park-West. It encompasses approximately 134,750 acres of public land managed by the Bureau of Land Management .

Canyons of the Ancients- Part of the Four Corners region of southwest Colorado, the proposed Canyons of the Ancients National Monument is in Montezuma and Dolores counties, Colorado, about 45 miles west of Durango and 9 miles west of Mesa Verde National Park. It includes approximately 164,000 acres of public land managed by the Bureau of Land Management.

Cascade-Siskiyou - The proposed Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument is located in south central Oregon, twenty-five miles southeast of Medford along the California border. It includes Soda Mountain and encompasses approximately 52,000 acres of public land managed by the Bureau of Land Management.

Hanford Reach - The proposed Hanford Reach National Monument is located in southeast Washington along the Columbia River. It encompasses approximately 200,000 acres of public land within the borders of the Department of Energy's Hanford Reservation.

In the past few months, Secretary Babbitt has visited each area and discussed protection options with local elected officials and residents.

The nature and extent of protection to be provided to each area -- and the types of uses that would continue to be permitted -- would be specified at the time of monument designation, should the President decide to accept the Secretary's recommendation.

The Antiquities Act authorizes the President to create national monuments on federal land to protect objects of historic and scientific interest.

Note: Maps of the proposed monuments can be downloaded at the web page below:

http://www.doi.gov/doipress/proposedmonuments.html

Fact Sheets:

Proposed Canyons of the Ancients National Monuments

Proposed Cascade-Siskiyou National Monuments

Proposed Hanford Reach National Monuments

Proposed Ironwood Forest National Monuments

-DOI-