Becoming a monument: Understanding lands protection

President Biden is set to sign a proclamation next week designating Chuckwalla lands a federally protected national monument.

He sets a record for the most land and waters conserved by any president, the White House says. In total, Biden has protected 674 million acres of land and waters through monuments and other designations during his four years in office.

The Antiquities Act of 1906 allows the president to establish national monuments through executive order.

The first national monument was Devils Tower in Wyoming, established in 1906 by Theodore Roosevelt.

National Monuments have become an important part of the American preservation movement.

Since 1906, more than 120 national monuments have been created, according to the US Department of the Interior.

National monuments aren't the only type of federally protected land. Those include:

• National Parks
• National Wildlife Refuges
• National Conservation Areas

The primary difference is the way they are established. Only US presidents can establish national monuments from already federally owned land.

The purpose for protecting them, unlike other protected lands, is for their cultural, historical, and scientific significance, rather than for it's scenic or recreational value.

Stay with News Channel 3 for more.