Obama vows he’s ‘not finished’ after naming new monument

President Obama designated nearly 347,000 acres of California's San Gabriel Mountains a national monument on Friday, vowing that he is "not finished” preserving the nation’s wilderness. Obama has designated 13 such monuments during his presidency, protecting a total of 260 million acres of both land and water, and sparking outrage from Republicans in Congress. Obama has designated nearly three times more land and water than any other president since Congress first passed the Antiquities Act in 1906, according to the White House. Obama's predecessor, President George W. Bush, comes in at a close second though, having designated at least 200 million acres of marine reserve near Hawaii at the end of his presidency. The designation for the San Gabriel Mountains comes after a decades-long push by Latino and environmental groups for the federal government to name it a national monument. The new protections will preserve the thousands of acres, which provide 30 percent of the drinking water for some 15 million people living in the surrounding region, and 70 percent of L.A. County's open space, Obama said on Friday. A lack of funding has plagued the mountains which include the Angeles National Forest. The forest is one of the busiest in the country with more than 3.5 million visitors each year. On top of the designation, Obama announced that a number of philanthropies will commit to help kick-start public involvement and restoration projects in L.A. County, and the new monument. The National Forest Foundation is pledging $3 million for a new San Gabriel Mountains National Monument Fund to aid in community response and restoration. Another donation from the California Endowment and Resources Legacy Fund will help support recreation and habitat improvement projects. The Hispanic Access Foundation praised Obama for the new monument. "The Latino community recognizes how important quality drinking water, clean air, and accessible public lands are to the well-being of southern California — particularly in an area that has limited green space,” said Maite Arce, CEO of Hispanic Access Foundation. “President Obama’s action will help protect these resources for future generations.”  "I've preserved 3 million acres of public lands for future generations and I'm not finished," Obama said. "We are looking at additional opportunities to preserve federal lands and waters and I will continue to do so especially where communities are speaking up," he added...more