Obama Designates 3 New National Monuments

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President Barack Obama signs proclamations to designate three new national monuments as Secretary of Interior Sally Jewell (2nd L) looks on in the Oval Office of the White House July 10, 2015 in Washington, DC. President Obama has designated three new national monuments of Berryessa Snow Mountain in California; Waco Mammoth in Texas; and the Basin and Range in Nevada. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
President Barack Obama signs proclamations to designate three new national monuments as Secretary of Interior Sally Jewell looks on in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on July 10, 2015.Alex Wong—Getty Images
By Julia Zorthian

President Obama established three new national monuments Friday: the Berryessa Snow Mountain in California, the Basin and Range area of southeastern Nevada, and the Waco Mammoth excavation area in Texas.

“I am especially pleased to be able to announce three new designations that are going to be taking place in varied landscapes, but all of them speak to some incredible history,” Obama said as he signed the proclamations in the Oval Office.

The President established the three sites as monuments using the Antiquities Act of 1906, according to the proclamations. Obama has designated or expanded 19 national monuments covering 260 million acres, an amount more than the total protected by any other president.

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Write to Julia Zorthian at julia.zorthian@time.com