U.S. National Monument

:This article discusses national monuments in the context of the United States. The term "national monument" is also used in other countries (e.g. Ireland), for similar purposes.

Related Topics:
United States - Ireland

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A U.S. National Monument is a protected area of the United States that is similar to a national park (specifically a U.S. National Park) except that the President of the United States can quickly declare an area of the United States to be a national monument without Congressional approval. There are also fewer protections offered to wildlife and to the geographic features in a national monument compared to the protection (and funding) that a national park receives.

Related Topics:
Protected area - United States - National park - U.S. National Park - President of the United States - Congress

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Another difference between a national monument and national park is the amount of diversity in what is being protected; national monuments aim to preserve at least one unique resource but do not have the amount of diversity of a national park (which are supposed to protect a host of unique features). However areas within and extending beyond, national parks, monuments or even national forests can be part of wilderness areas, which have an even greater degree of protection than a national park would alone, although wilderness areas managed by the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Bureau of Land Management oftentimes allow hunting.

Related Topics:
National forests - Wilderness area - U.S. Forest Service - U.S. Bureau of Land Management - Hunting

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National monuments are managed by the National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service or by the Bureau of Land Management.

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The power to grant national monuments came from President Theodore Roosevelt, who declared Devils Tower in Wyoming as the very first national monument. He thought Congress was moving too slowly and it would be ruined by the time they got around to making it a national park.

Related Topics:
Theodore Roosevelt - Devils Tower - Wyoming

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