Monumental Shift plans to bring Monumental power back to the people by transforming the traditional creation, conception, funding, and stewardship of national monuments in the United States in order to better represent and honor lands and places sacred to historically and intentionally excluded communities.

On October 8th, the Biden-Harris Administration restored Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments as a first step in following through on campaign promises to continue making place-based conservation a priority. Without a doubt, this restoration was a direct result of Indigenous-led organizing and activism. Monumental SHIFT will continue our work to shift historical inequities for place-based conservation by announcing our first monument campaigns on October 29th, to commemorate the 30th anniversary of when Principles of Environmental Justice were authored at the First National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit. We ask President Biden to act on National Monuments to ensure equity, address the nature gap and climate change.

“Today marks a prideful and historical moment for the first-of-its-kind national coalition led by racially and ethnically diverse conservation leaders. Today, we bring our coalition into the national monument dialogue, and center communities who hold those lands most sacred. Today is a powerful day.” - Ángel Peña, Executive Director, Nuestra Tierra Conservation Project

“Protecting public lands through monument designation is timely and critical for communities. Monumental SHIFT is showing up to ensure the way we create, fund, and maintain national monuments represents and reflects the communities we belong to. Hispanic Access Foundation is proud to be a part of this growing movement to designate more monuments for us, by us, and with us.” - Maite Arce, President & CEO, Hispanic Access Foundation

Coalition members include: Bennae Calac, Tribal Consultant, Continental Divide Trail Coalition, HECHO, Hispanic Access Foundation , José G. Gonzalez, National Parks Conservation Association, National Religious Partnership for the Environment, Nuestra Tierra Conservation Project, Rising Routes

Through community advocacy, organizing, and storytelling, this coalition supports and furthers the creation of new national monuments.