STATEMENT: CAP’s Goldfuss on Designation of Fort Ord as National Monument

Washington, D.C. — Today as President Barack Obama prepares to sign a proclamation designating Fort Ord as a national monument, Christy Goldfuss, Director of the Public Lands Project at the Center for American Progress, released the following statement:

While Congress sits on dozens of conservation bills, President Obama listens to the calls of veterans and a local community by taking action to protect Fort Ord for future generations. We look forward to President Obama continuing to build his conservation legacy from the bottom up, listening to the desires of the American people.

Fort Ord on Monterey Bay, California, is a former army base that was home to more than 1.5 million U.S. soldiers. In operation from World War I until the end of the Cold War, it was closed in 1994 as part of the Army’s Base Realignment and Closure process. Since then 7,000 of its acres have been managed by the Bureau of Land Management for conservation, wildlife habitat, and recreation. More than 86 miles of trails on the site have made it a world-class mountain biking destination.

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