16 U.S.C. § 410ooo — Findings

Pinnacles National Monument was established by Presidential Proclamation 796 on January 16, 1908, for the purposes of protecting its rock formations, and expanded by Presidential Proclamation 1660 of May 7, 1923; Presidential Proclamation 1704 of July 2, 1924; Presidential Proclamation 1948 of April 13, 1931; Presidential Proclamation 2050 of July 11, 1933; Presidential Proclamation 2528 of December 5, 1941; Public Law 94–567; and Presidential Proclamation 7266 of January 11, 2000.

While the extraordinary geology of Pinnacles National Monument has attracted and enthralled visitors for well over a century, the expanded Monument now serves a critical role in protecting other important natural and cultural resources and ecological processes. This expanded role merits recognition through legislation.

Pinnacles National Monument provides the best remaining refuge for floral and fauna species representative of the central California coast and Pacific coast range, including 32 species holding special Federal or State status, not only because of its multiple ecological niches but also because of its long-term protected status with 14,500 acres of Congressionally designated wilderness.

Pinnacles National Monument encompasses a unique blend of California heritage from prehistoric and historic Native Americans to the arrival of the Spanish, followed by 18th and 19th century settlers, including miners, cowboys, vaqueros, ranchers, farmers, and homesteaders.

Pinnacles National Monument is the only National Park System site within the ancestral home range of the California Condor. The reintroduction of the condor to its traditional range in California is important to the survival of the species, and as a result, the scientific community with centers at the Los Angeles Zoo and San Diego Zoo in California and Buenos Aires Zoo in Argentina looks to Pinnacles National Monument as a leader in California Condor recovery, and as an international partner for condor recovery in South America.

The preservation, enhancement, economic and tourism potential and management of the central California coast and Pacific coast range’s important natural and cultural resources requires cooperation and partnerships among local property owners, Federal, State, and local government entities and the private sector.