California's Fort Ord Becomes the Newest National Monument in the USA

Photo: Fort Ord BETA (Bicycle-Equestrian Trails-Assistance)

Newest National Monument

Fort Ord, a former military base just north of Monterey, California, has been designated the country's newest national monument. President Barack Obama signed a proclamation April 20 designating Fort Ord as a national monument under the Department of the Interior. Fort Ord is the second that President Obama has created under the 1906 Antiquities Act.

This action by the federal government will help the public lands, which hold more than 80 crisscrossed miles of hiking and cycling trails, gain prominence as a travel destination and protect the lands as an environmental refuge. The designation bars off-road vehicles, but officials said the 86 miles of hiking, biking and horseback riding trails along the Central Coast will remain open.

According to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, who called Ft. Ord "one of the crown jewels" of the California coast, the designation was made after meetings with local groups, and has had bipartisan political support. "The president has heard the local community loud and clear," Salazar said. "Ft. Ord is a national treasure that should and will be protected."

Sources:

Presidential Proclamation - Establishment of the Fort Ord National Monument - The White House

Fort Ord declared a national monument by Obama - SFGate.com

President Obama designates Ft. Ord a national monument - LAtimes.com