Executive Action

The National Audubon Society said this week that President Obama's most recent executive order designating the New England Coral Canyons and Seamounts as the first Atlantic National Marine Monument will help protect critical habitat for Maine's Atlantic Puffins.

Located approximately 150 miles off the coast of Cape Cod, the 4,913 square mile Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument is the latest addition to the National Wildlife Refuge System and will be jointly administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

On the eve of the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service, President Obama announced his designation of the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, with authority granted under the Antiquities Act.

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker and U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell have applauded President Obama's action to use his executive authority under the Antiquities Act and expand the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument – making it the largest marine protected area on Earth.

Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack praised the President's designation of the Sand to Snow National Monument, Mojave Trails National Monument, and Castle Mountains National Monument in southern California.

The National Audubon Society has praised President Obama's executive order creating three new national monuments in California.