Benefits of Designating National Monuments
The Monuments Make Money New Mexico project highlights local businesses and communities that benefit economically from national monuments and parks protected through the Antiquities Act.
Helping Local Businesses and Communities
National monuments and other protected public lands are economic engines that drive and are intertwined with local businesses and economies. These public lands draw visitors to our state’s hubs and remote areas, learning more about our diverse culture, traditions, and history. Millions of visitor’s statewide stay in hotels, shop at local businesses, eat at local restaurants, and use other local services.
These visitors inject new money into local communities. Tourism and spending by visitors is one of the top economic drivers for communities located close to national monuments and other protected public lands, supporting local businesses and jobs.
- In the first nine years after the designation of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument in southern New Mexico, visitors brought $234 million in economic benefits to nearby communities supporting 305 new jobs.
- Visitors to White Sands and Carlsbad Caverns supported 572 and 353 jobs, respectively, in 2022.
- In 2022, outdoor recreation contributed $2.4 billion to New Mexico’s economy, benefiting communities across New Mexico.
Small businesses are vital to local economies because they earn revenue, pay taxes, and provide local jobs, and give back to their communities. They employ our families, friends, and neighbors and sponsor local sports teams and events. Local businesses also recognize the importance of national monuments and parks as valuable sites for locals and visitors to enjoy, explore, and protect. Their investment can be seen in creating products and services around their public places, providing customers with tips about sites to see, and supporting other small businesses as visitor dollars ripple through the local economy.
More Than Just Economics
The Antiquities Act of 1906 is a law that empowers Presidents to establish national monuments on federal land containing “historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, and other objects of historic or scientific interest.” The vast majority of national monuments are managed by the National Park Service, U.S. Bureau of Land Management, and U.S. Forest Service.
Since its enactment, 18 presidents – nine Republican and nine Democrat – have used the Antiquities Act to designate or enlarge over 160 national monuments, thus protecting our nation’s significant natural, cultural, and historical sites, and ensuring that future generations can enjoy these places as we can today. In New Mexico, this includes iconic landscapes such as White Sands and Rio Grande del Norte, as well as culturally significant areas including Bandelier and Salinas Pueblo Missions.
The Antiquities Act has also helped to ensure that the history of diverse Americans is enshrined and protected on our public lands, as exemplified by Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad, César E. Chávez, Birmingham Civil Rights, Honouliuli, Stonewall, and Belmont-Paul Women’s Equality national monuments.
National monuments have also empowered Tribal Nations to have a role in co-stewarding and managing their ancestral lands in partnership with federal agencies in places such as the Bears Ears, Avi Kwa Ame, and Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni.
Lastly, national monuments provide opportunities for outdoor recreation, serve as living classrooms, and offer opportunities for unique scientific research and discoveries.
You can learn more about the Antiquities Act at Wikipedia and the National Park Service website.
Contact Information
Carrie Hamblen
CEO/President – Las Cruces Green Chamber of Commerce.
Alexandra merlino
CEO – Partnership for Responsible Business
The Organizations Behind the Campaign
This Monuments Make Money project is developed by the Las Cruces Green Chamber of Commerce (LCGCC) and the Partnership for Responsible Business (PRB). We are proud to share the stories of local businesses and communities that benefit from and support protected public lands.