Monday, November 20, 2000

 

Volume 36, Issue 46; ISSN: 0511-4187

 

Proclamation 7373--boundary enlargement of the craters of the Moon National

Monument

William J Clinton

 

 

� November 9, 2000

 

 

� By the President of the United States of America

 

 

� A Proclamation

 

 

� The Craters of the Moon National Monument was established on May 2,

1924 (Presidential Proclamation 1694) , for the purpose of

protecting the unusual landscape of the Craters of the Moon lava

field. This "lunar" landscape was thought to resemble that of the

Moon and was described in the Proclamation as "weird and scenic

landscape peculiar to itself." The unusual scientific value of the

expanded monument is the great diversity of exquisitely preserved

volcanic features within a relatively small area. The expanded

monument includes almost all the features of basaltic volcanism,

including the craters, cones, lava flows, eaves, and fissures of the

65-mile-long Great Rift, a geological feature that is comparable to

the great rift zones of Iceland and Hawaii. It comprises the most

diverse and geologically recent part of the lava terrain that covers

the southern Snake River Plain, a broad lava plain made up of

innumerable basalt lava flows that erupted during the past 5 million

years.

 

 

� Since 1924, the monument has been expanded and boundary adjustments

made through four presidential proclamations issued pursuant to the

Antiquities Act (34 Stat. 225, 16 U.S.C. 431). Presidential

Proclamation 1843 of July 23, 1928, expanded the monument to include

certain springs for water supply and additional features of

scientific interest. Presidential Proclamation 1916 of July 9, 1930,

Presidential Proclamation 2499 of July 18, 1941, and Presidential

Proclamation 3506 of November 19, 1962, made further adjustments to

the boundaries. In 1996, a minor boundary adjustment was made by,

section 205 of the Omnibus Parks and Public Lands Management Act of

1996 (Public Law 104-333, 110 Stat. 4093, 4106).

 

 

� This Proclamation enlarges the boundary to assure protection of the

entire Great Rift volcanic zone and associated lava features, all

objects of scientific interest. The Craters of the Moon, Open Crack,

Kings Bowl, and Wapi crack sets and the associated Craters of the

Moon, Kings Bowl, and Wapi lava fields constitute this volcanic rift

zone system. Craters of the Moon is the largest basaltic volcanic

field of dominantly Holocene age (less than 10,000 years old) in the

conterminous United States. Each of the past eruptive episodes

lasted up to several hundred years in duration and was separated

from other eruptive episodes by quiet periods of several hundred

years to about 3,000 years. The first eruptive episode began about

15,000 years ago and the latest ended about 2,100 years ago.

 

 

� Craters of the Moon holds the most diverse and youngest part of the

lava terrain that covers the southern Snake River Plain of Idaho, a

broad plain made up of innumerable basalt lava flows during the past

5 million years. The most recent eruptions at the Craters of the

Moon took place about 2,100 years ago and were likely witnessed by

the Shoshone people, whose legend speaks of a serpent on a mountain

who, angered by lightening, coiled around and squeezed the mountain

until the rocks crumbled and melted, fire shot from cracks, and

liquid rock flowed from the fissures as the mountain exploded. The

volcanic field now lies dormant, in the latest of a series of quiet

periods that separate the eight eruptive episodes during which the

60 lava flows and 25 cinder cones of this composite volcanic field

were formed. Some of the lava flows traveled distances of as much as

43 miles from their vents, and some flows diverged around areas of

higher ground and rejoined downstream to form isolated islands of

older terrain surrounded by new lava. These areas are called

"kipukas."

 

 

� The kipukas provide a window on vegetative communities of the past

that have been erased from most of the Snake River Plain. In many

instances, the expanse of rugged lava surrounding the small pocket

of soils has protected the kipukas from people, animals, and even

exotic plants. As a result, these kipukas represent some of the last

nearly pristine and undisturbed vegetation in the Snake River Plain,

including 700-year-old juniper trees and relict stands of sagebrush

that are essential habitat for sensitive sage grouse populations.

These tracts of relict vegetation are remarkable benchmarks that aid

in the scientific study of changes to vegetative communities from

recent human activity as well as the role of natural fire in the

sagebrush steppe ecosystem.

 

 

� The Kings Bowl lava field and the Wapi lava field are included in

the enlarged monument. The Kings Bowl field erupted during a single

fissure eruption on the southern part of the Great Rift about 2,250

years ago. This eruption probably lasted only a few hours to a few

days. The field preserves explosion pits, lava lakes, squeeze-ups,

basalt mounds, and an ash blanket. The Wapi field probably formed

from a fissure eruption simultaneously with the eruption of the

Kings Bowl field. With more prolonged activity over a period of

months to a few years, the Wapi field formed a low shield volcano.

The Bear Trap lava tube, located between the Craters of the Moon and

the Wapi lava fields, is a cave system more than 15 miles long. The

lava tube is remarkable for its length and for the number of well

preserved lava-cave features, such as lava stalactites and curbs,

the latter marking high stands of the flowing lava forever frozen on

the lava tube walls. The lava tubes and pit craters of the monument

are known for their unusual preservation of winter ice and snow into

the hot summer months, due to shielding from the sun and the

insulating properties of the basalt.

 

 

� Section 2 of the Act of June 8, 1906 (34 Stat. 225, 16 U.S.C. 431),

authorizes the President, in his discretion, to declare by public

proclamation historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric

structures, and other objects of historic or scientific interest

that are situated upon the lands owned or controlled by the

Government of the United States to be national monuments, and to

reserve as a part thereof parcels of land, the limits of which in

all cases shall be confined to the smallest area compatible with the

proper care and management of the objects to be protected.

 

 

� Whereas it appears that it would be in the public interest to

reserve such lands as an addition to the Craters of the Moon

National Monument:

 

 

� Now, Therefore, I, William J. Clinton, President of the United

States of America, by the authority vested in me by section 2 of the

Act of June 8, 1906 (34 Stat. 225, 16 U.S.C. 431), do proclaim that

there are hereby set apart and reserved as an addition to the

Craters of the Moon National Monument, for the purpose of protecting

the objects identified above, all lands and interests in lands owned

or controlled by the United States within the boundaries of the area

described on the map entitled "Craters of the Moon National Monument

Boundary Enlargement" attached to and forming a part of this

proclamation. The Federal land and interests in land reserved

consist of approximately 661,287 acres, which is the smallest area

compatible with the proper care and management of the objects to be

protected.

 

 

� All Federal lands and interests in lands within the boundaries of

this monument are hereby appropriated and withdrawn from all forms

of entry, location, selection, sale, or leasing or other disposition

under the public land laws, including but not limited to withdrawal

from location, entry, and patent under the mining laws, and from

disposition under all laws relating to mineral and geothermal

leasing, other than by exchange that furthers the protective

purposes of the monument. For the purpose of protecting the objects

identified above, the Secretary shall prohibit all motorized and

mechanized vehicle use off road, except for emergency or authorized

administrative purposes.

 

 

� Lands and interests in lands within the proposed monument not owned

by the United States shall be reserved as a part of the monument

upon acquisition of title thereto by the United States.

 

 

� The Secretary of the Interior shall prepare a transportation plan

that addresses the actions, including road closures or travel

restrictions, necessary to protect the objects identified in this

proclamation.

 

 

� The Secretary of the Interior shall manage the area being added to

the monument through the Bureau of Land Management and the National

Park Service, pursuant to legal authorities, to implement the

purposes of this proclamation. The National Park Service and the

Bureau of Land Management shall manage the monument cooperatively

and shall prepare an agreement to share, consistent with applicable

laws, whatever resources are necessary to manage properly the

monument; however, the National Park Service shall have primary

management authority over the portion of the monument that includes

the exposed lava flows, and shall manage the area under the same

laws and regulations that apply to the current monument. The Bureau

of Land Management shall have primary management authority over the

remaining portion of the monument, as indicated on the map entitled,

"Craters of the Moon National Monument Boundary Enlargement."

 

 

� Wilderness Study Areas included in the monument will continue to be

managed under section 603(c) of the Federal Land Policy and

Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701-1782).

 

 

� The establishment of this monument is subject to valid existing

rights.

 

 

� Nothing in this proclamation shall be deemed to enlarge or diminish

the jurisdiction of the State of Idaho with respect to fish and

wildlife management.

 

 

� This proclamation does not reserve water as a matter of Federal

law. Nothing in this reservation shall be construed as a

relinquishment or reduction of any water use or rights reserved or

appropriated by the United States on or before the date of this

proclamation. The Secretary shall work with appropriate State

authorities to ensure that water resources needed for monument

purposes are available.

 

 

� Nothing in this proclamation shall be deemed to enlarge or diminish

the rights of any Indian tribe.

 

 

� Laws, regulations, and policies followed by the Bureau of Land

Management in issuing and administering grazing permits or leases on

all lands under its jurisdiction shall continue to apply with regard

to the lands in the monument administered by the Bureau of Land

Management.

 

 

� Nothing in this proclamation shall be deemed to revoke any existing

withdrawal, reservation, or appropriation; however, the national

monument shall be the dominant reservation.

 

 

� Warning is hereby given to all unauthorized persons not to

appropriate, injure, destroy, or remove any feature of this monument

and not to locate or settle upon any of the lands thereof.

 

 

� In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this ninth day of

November, in the year of our Lord two thousand, and of the

Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and

twenty-fifth.

 

 

� William J. Clinton

 

 

� [Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 8:46 a.m., November

14, 2000]

 

 

� NOTE: This proclamation was published in the Federal Register on

November 15. This item was not received in time for publication in

the appropriate issue.