     thumb|220px|frank (boss) pinkley, supt. of the southwestern national monuments, 1934. a national monument in the united states is a protected area that is similar to a national park except that the president of the united states can declare an area of the united states to be a national monument without the approval of congress. however, areas within and extending beyond national parks, monuments, and national forests can be part of wilderness areas, which have an even greater degree of protection than a national park would alone, although wilderness areas managed by the united states forest service and bureau of land management often allow hunting and grazing. national monuments can be managed by one of several federal agencies: the national park service, united states forest service, united states fish and wildlife service, or bureau of land management. historically, some national monuments were managed by the war department. national monuments can also be privately managed. national monuments can be so designated through the power of the antiquities act of 1906. president theodore roosevelt used the act to declare devils tower in wyoming as the first national monument. he did so because he thought congress was moving too slowly and it would be ruined by the time they made it a national park. ==history== the antiquities act of 1906 resulted from concerns about protecting mostly prehistoric native american ruins and ar
Lists_of_monuments_and_memorials_by_country National_Monuments_of_the_United_States National_Park_Service_National_Monuments Protected_areas_of_the_United_States