San Gabriel Mountains become country’s newest national monument

President Barack Obama traveled to southern California on Friday to designate about 346,000 acres within the San Gabriel Mountains as the nation’s newest national monument.…

This is a panoramic view of the San Gabriel Mountains in California. On Friday, President Obama declared the mountains the country’s newest national monument. (Shutterstock photo)

President Barack Obama traveled to southern California on Friday to designate about 346,000 acres within the San Gabriel Mountains as the nation’s newest national monument.

“I can think of no better way to honor our past and protect our future than by preserving the San Gabriel Mountains,” Obama said during a speech at Frank G. Bonelli Regional Park in San Dimas, California.

The San Gabriel Mountains are located in Los Angeles County and are a popular outdoor recreation area for many Latinos who live nearby. More than 15 million people live within 90 minutes of the mountains, according to the White House.

The mountains also provide the only available large-scale open space for many residents of the Los Angeles County, which the White House says is one of the most disadvantaged counties in the country when it comes to access to parks and open space for minorities and children.

SEE ALSO: Obama establishes Cesar Chavez monument as a tribute to the activist

During his speech on Friday, the president touched on the rich history, culture and science that exists within the San Gabriel Mountains. He also noted the mountains attract more than 3 million visitors every year, more than icons like Mount Rushmore and the Grand Tetons.

“The the story of the San Gabriel Mountains is, in many ways, the story of America,” Obama added. “It’s the story of communities exploring the great west, of Native Americans and Spanish missionaries, of colonialists and rancheros, of merchants and landowners. It’s the story of prospectors in search of gold, of settlers in search of a new life.”

For more than a decade, a broad coalition of business leaders, environmentalists, cultural preservation groups and members of Congress have been calling for permanent protection of the San Gabriel Mountains. They say the area is rich in culture and history, and is a habitat for rare and endangered animals.

In answering those calls, the White House said the National Forest Foundation will provide $3 million for the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument Fund. Another $5000,000 donated by a number of foundations from California will go toward establishing the San Gabriel Partnership Fund.

All of these funds will be used to restoration purposes and to support recreation and habitat improvement projects.

Mixed reaction to monument status for San Gabriel Mountains

Obama’s move to designate the San Gabriel Mountains as a national monument marks the 13th time the president uses his authority under the Antiquities Act to create or expand national monuments across the country.

Earlier this week, the Pew Charitable Trusts applauded Obama’s decision to designate the San Gabriel Mountains as a national monument.

“This designation, which will protect the source of 70 percent of LA County’s open space and more than one-third of its drinking water, is an important conservation milestone for our country,” Mike Matz, director of public lands with Pew Charitable Trusts, said in a statement Wednesday.

“Not only is the President creating the second-largest land monument of his administration, but in so doing he is contributing to the health and well-being of generations of children who look to the nearby San Gabriel Mountains for clean air and water, and for the opportunity to get outside and explore and enjoy a wild place that is just beyond their backyards,” he added.

SEE ALSO: Members of Congress want museum for American Latinos on National Mall

But not everyone supports Obama’s move. A group of people gathered early Friday in San Dimas to protest Obama’s speech announcing the designation of the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument, The Los Angeles Times reported.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich also opposes the monument designation. He said in a press release on Wednesday that he is concerned that the monument designation will impact Los Angeles County operations, such as flood protection, roads, water resources and efforts to prevent forest fires.

“This list of issues is alarming,” Antonovich said. “We have been told repeatedly that this designation will have no impacts on County operations, yet our County departments immediately identified multiple areas of concern.”

“We now have more questions than answers, and unfortunately, we will be unable to definitely determine the potential impacts of a designation prior to the President’s ill-advised Executive Order,” he added.

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