2838 Nov. 9 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 2000 national monument shall be the dominant east side of the plateau to the Colorado reservation. River. Erosion of the sedimentary rocks in Warning is hereby given to all unauthor- this 2,500 foot deep canyon has produced a ized persons not to appropriate, injure, de- variety of geologic objects and associated stroy, or remove any feature of this monu- landscape features such as amphitheaters, ment and not to locate or settle upon any arches, and massive sandstone walls. of the lands thereof. In the northwest portion of the monument In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set lies Coyote Buttes, a geologically spectacular my hand this ninth day of November, in the area where crossbeds of the Navajo Sand- year of our Lord two thousand, and of the stone exhibit colorful banding in surreal hues Independence of the United States of Amer- of yellow, orange, pink, and red caused by ica the two hundred and twenty-fifth. the precipitation of manganese, iron, and William J. Clinton other oxides. Thin veins or fins of calcite cut across the sandstone, adding another dimen- [Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, sion to the landscape. Humans have explored 8:46 a.m., November 14, 2000] and lived on the plateau and surrounding canyons for thousands of years, since the ear- NOTE: This proclamation was published in the liest known hunters and gatherers crossed Federal Register on November 15. This item was not received in time for publication in the appro- the area 12,000 or more years ago. Some of priate issue. the earliest rock art in the Southwest can be found in the monument. High densities of Ancestral Puebloan sites can also be found, Proclamation 7374—Vermilion Cliffs including remnants of large and small vil- National Monument lages, some with intact standing walls, November 9, 2000 fieldhouses, trails, granaries, burials, and camps. By the President of the United States The monument was a crossroad for many of America historic expeditions. In 1776, the Dominguez-Escalante expedition of Spanish A Proclamation explorers traversed the monument in search Amid the sandstone slickrock, brilliant of a safe crossing of the Colorado River. After cliffs, and rolling sandy plateaus of the a first attempt at crossing the Colorado near Vermilion Cliffs National Monument lie out- the mouth of the Paria River failed, the ex- standing objects of scientific and historic in- plorers traveled up the Paria Canyon in the terest. Despite its arid climate and rugged monument until finding a steep hillside they isolation, the monument contains a wide vari- could negotiate with horses. This took them ety of biological objects and has a long and out of the Paria Canyon to the east and up rich human history. Full of natural splendor into the Ferry Swale area, after which they and a sense of solitude, this area remains re- achieved their goal at the Crossing of the Fa- mote and unspoiled, qualities that are essen- thers east of the monument. Antonio tial to the protection of the scientific and his- Armijo’s 1829 Mexican trading expedition toric objects it contains. followed the Dominguez route on the way The monument is a geological treasure. Its from Santa Fe to Los Angeles. centerpiece is the majestic Paria Plateau, a Later, Mormon exploring parties led by grand terrace lying between two great geo- Jacob Hamblin crossed south of the logic structures, the East Kaibab and the Vermilion Cliffs on missionary expeditions to Echo Cliffs monoclines. The Vermilion the Hopi villages. Mormon pioneer John D. Cliffs, which lie along the southern edge of Lee established Lee’s Ferry on the Colorado the Paria Plateau, rise 3,000 feet in a spectac- River just south of the monument in 1871. ular escarpment capped with sandstone This paved the way for homesteads in the underlain by multicolored, actively eroding, monument, still visible in remnants of his- dissected layers of shale and sandstone. The toric ranch structures and associated objects stunning Paria River Canyon winds along the that tell the stories of early settlement. The Administration of William J. Clinton, 2000 / Nov. 9 2839 route taken by the Mormon explorers along proper care and management of the objects the base of the Paria Plateau would later be- to be protected. come known as the Old Arizona Road or Whereas it appears that it would be in Honeymoon Trail. After the temple in St. the public interest to reserve such lands as George, Utah was completed in 1877, the a national monument to be known as the Honeymoon Trail was used by Mormon cou- Vermilion Cliffs National Monument: ples who had already been married by civil Now, Therefore, I, William J. Clinton, authorities in the Arizona settlements, but President of the United States of America, also made the arduous trip to St. George to by the authority vested in me by section 2 have their marriages solemnized in the tem- of the Act of June 8, 1906 (34 Stat. 225, 16 ple. The settlement of the monument area U.S.C. 431), do proclaim that there are here- by Mormon pioneers overlapped with an- by set apart and reserved as the Vermilion other historic exploration by John Wesley Cliffs National Monument, for the purpose Powell, who passed through the monument of protecting the objects identified above, all during his scientific surveys of 1871. The monument contains outstanding bio- lands and interests in lands owned or con- logical objects that have been preserved by trolled by the United States within the remoteness and limited travel corridors. The boundaries of the area described on the map monument’s vegetation is a unique combina- entitled ‘‘Vermilion Cliffs National Monu- tion of cold desert flora and warm desert ment’’ attached to and forming a part of this grassland, and includes one threatened spe- proclamation. The Federal land and interests cies, Welsh’s milkweed. This unusual plant, in land reserved consist of approximately known only in Utah and Arizona, colonizes 293,000 acres, which is the smallest area and stabilizes shifting sand dunes, but is compatible with the proper care and man- crowded out once other vegetation en- agement of the objects to be protected. croaches. All Federal lands and interests in lands Despite sporadic rainfall and widely scat- within the boundaries of this monument are tered ephemeral water sources, the monu- hereby appropriated and withdrawn from all ment supports a variety of wildlife species. forms of entry, location, selection, sale, or At least twenty species of raptors have been leasing or other disposition under the public documented in the monument, as well as a land laws, including but not limited to with- variety of reptiles and amphibians. California drawal from location, entry, and patent under condors have been reintroduced into the the mining laws, and from disposition under monument in an effort to establish another all laws relating to mineral and geothermal wild population of this highly endangered leasing, other than by exchange that furthers species. Desert bighorn sheep, pronghorn the protective purposes of the monument. antelope, mountain lion, and other mammals For the purpose of protecting the objects roam the canyons and plateaus. The Paria identified above, the Secretary shall prohibit River supports sensitive native fish, including all motorized and mechanized vehicle use off the flannelmouth sucker and the speckled road, except for emergency or authorized ad- dace. ministrative purposes. Section 2 of the Act of June 8, 1906 (34 Stat. 225, 16 U.S.C. 431) authorizes the Lands and interests in lands within the President, in his discretion, to declare by proposed monument not owned by the public proclamation historic landmarks, his- United States shall be reserved as a part of toric and prehistoric structures, and other the monument upon acquisition of title objects of historic or scientific interest that thereto by the United States. are situated upon the lands owned or con- The Secretary of the Interior shall manage trolled by the Government of the United the monument through the Bureau of Land States to be national monuments, and to re- Management, pursuant to applicable legal serve as a part thereof parcels of land, the authorities, to implement the purposes of this limits of which in all cases shall be confined proclamation. to the smallest area compatible with the 2840 Nov. 9 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 2000

The Secretary of the Interior shall prepare Memorandum on Preservation of a transportation plan that addresses the ac- Japanese-American Internment Sites tions, including road closures or travel re- strictions, necessary to protect the objects November 9, 2000 identified in this proclamation. The establishment of this monument is Memorandum for the Secretary of the subject to valid existing rights. Interior Nothing in this proclamation shall be deemed to enlarge or diminish the jurisdic- Subject: Preservation of Japanese American tion of the State of Arizona with respect to Internment Sites fish and wildlife management. The internment of Japanese Americans This proclamation does not reserve water was a tragic episode in American history. The as a matter of Federal law. Nothing in this recent publication of the National Park Serv- reservation shall be construed as a relin- ice report on the condition of the former in- quishment or reduction of any water use or ternment camp sites, coupled with our Fiscal rights reserved or appropriated by the United Year 2001 budget initiative, will help focus States on or before the date of this proclama- attention and resources on preserving the tion. The Secretary shall work with appro- historical values of these sites. priate State authorities to ensure that any The National Park Service report, entitled water resources needed for monument pur- ‘‘Confinement and Ethnicity: an Overview of poses are available. World War II Japanese American Relocation Laws, regulations, and policies followed by Sites,’’ describes the current condition of the the Bureau of Land Management in issuing internment camps and other relocation sites. and administering grazing permits or leases To follow up on this report, I direct you to on all lands under its jurisdiction shall con- develop recommendations to preserve the tinue to apply with regard to the lands in existing Japanese American internment sites the monument. and to provide more opportunities for the Nothing in this proclamation shall be public to learn about the internment. These deemed to revoke any existing withdrawal, reservation, or appropriation; however, the recommendations should be developed with- national monument shall be the dominant in the next 60 days in consultation with other reservation. Warning is hereby given to all Federal agencies, as appropriate. unauthorized persons not to appropriate, in- I also direct you to consult with Members jure, destroy, or remove any feature of this of Congress, States, tribes, local officials, and monument and not to locate or settle upon other interested parties as you develop these any of the lands thereof. recommendations. You should also consider In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set expanding partnerships with private organi- my hand this ninth day of November, in the zations and landowners and explore the cre- year of our Lord two thousand, and of the ation of an interagency team to coordinate Independence of the United States of Amer- the work of Federal agencies. Your rec- ica the two hundred and twenty-fifth. ommendations should include proposals for administrative and legislative action to help William J. Clinton preserve these sites, within existing budget [Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, resources. 8:46 a.m., November 13, 2000] William J. Clinton NOTE: This proclamation was published in the Federal Register on November 15. This item was not received in time for publication in the appro- NOTE: This item was not received in time for pub- priate issue. lication in the appropriate issue.