Our Iconic Landscapes

Majestic mountains. Rolling rivers. Elusive wildlife. Breathtaking views. Generation after generation, visitors come to national parks for all of this and more, to be inspired by one of America’s great, lasting legacies.

But the parks don’t exist in a vacuum. The lands surrounding national parks — national forests, wilderness areas, national monuments and more — safeguard the water, wildlife and clean air that visitors treasure. Those thriving, living landscapes are what draw millions to national parks every year.

The true value of a place isn’t measured in dollars or acres, but in the lives it has touched. National parks account for only 3% of protected lands, but their value to all of us is immense — as anchors for ecosystems and as national treasures to be passed down for future generations to enjoy.

Imagine America without… Devils Tower

Devils Tower - first monument with Antiquities Act

Devils Tower in Wyoming was the first national monument created through the 1906 Antiquities Act.

Matt Pcion/Dreamstime

Devils Tower National Monument, established in 1906 by President Theodore Roosevelt, is a landmark in the truest sense of the word. It’s an astounding geologic feature — visible from some 50 miles away — that protrudes out of the prairie surrounding the Black Hills. It is considered sacred by many Indigenous people, and the Arapahoe, Cheyenne, Crow, Kiowa, and Lakota tribes each have sacred narratives in their oral histories about the Tower. Hundreds of parallel cracks make it one of the finest crack climbing areas in North America.

It is also in the crosshairs of oil and gas developers, who hope for the opportunity to drill in this landscape.

Breaking up the Devils Tower landscape would leave this one-of-a-kind view surrounded by oil wells, industrial roads, hazy skies and gas flares. President Roosevelt protected this landscape precisely to save it from this kind of development, but the Department of the Interior has begun actively studying whether those protections can be revoked.

Visitors come from across the nation — and around the world — to experience the natural wonder of a breathtaking landscape. Like so many people who experience the sights of Devils Tower, President Roosevelt recognized the importance of preserving America’s natural heritage for future generations. Devils Tower entices us to explore, find our own place in the world, and protect these inspiring and irreplaceable landscapes.