National Natural Landmark

The Trona Pinnacles with National Natural Landmark sign

Shiprock National Natural Landmark

The National Natural Landmarks (NNL) Program recognizes and encourages the conservation of outstanding examples of the natural history of the United States.^[1] It is the only natural areas program of national scope that identifies and recognizes the best examples of biological and geological features in both public and private ownership. The program was established on May 18, 1962, by United States Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall.

The program aims to encourage and support voluntary preservation of sites that illustrate the geological and ecological history of the United States. It also hopes to strengthen the public's appreciation of the country's natural heritage. As of October 17, 2012, 594 sites have been added to the National Registry of National Landmarks.^[2] The registry includes nationally significant geological and ecological features in 48 states, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.

The National Park Service administers the NNL Program and if requested, assists NNL owners and managers with the conservation of these important sites. Land acquisition by the federal government is not a goal of this program. National Natural Landmarks are nationally significant sites owned by a variety of land stewards, and their participation in this federal program is voluntary.

The legislative authority for the National Natural Landmarks Program stems from the Historic Sites Act of August 21, 1935 (49 Stat. 666, 16 U.S.C. 641); the program is governed by federal regulations. ^[3] The NNL Program does not have the protection features of Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. Thus, designation of a National Natural Landmark presently constitutes only an agreement with the owner to preserve, insofar as possible, the significant natural values of the site or area. Administration and preservation of National Natural Landmarks is solely the owner's responsibility. Either party may terminate the agreement after they notify the other.

The UK's Site of Special Scientific Interest list is a rough equivalent.

Designation

The NNL designation is made by the Secretary of the Interior after in-depth scientific study of a potential site. All new designations must have owner concurrence. The selection process is rigorous: to be considered for NNL status, a site must be one of the best examples of a natural region's characteristic biotic or geologic features. Since establishment of the NNL program, a multi-step process has been used to designate a site for NNL status. Since 1970, the following steps have constituted the process.

1. A natural area inventory of a natural region is completed to identify the most promising sites.
2. After landowners are notified that the site is being considered for NNL status, a detailed onsite evaluation is conducted by scientists other than those who conducted the inventory.
3. The evaluation report is peer reviewed by other experts to assure its soundness.
4. The report is reviewed further by National Park Service staff.
5. The site is reviewed by the Secretary of the Interior's National Park Advisory Board to determine that the site qualifies as an NNL.
6. The findings are provided to the Secretary of the Interior who approves or declines.
7. Landowners are notified a third time informing them that the site has been designated an NNL.

(NOTE: Step 2 was dropped after 1979 but was reinstituted in 1999.)

Prospective sites for NNL designation are terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems; geological features, exposures, and landforms that record active geological processes or portions of earth history; and fossil evidence of biological evolution. Each major natural history "theme" can be further subdivided into various sub-themes. For example, sub-themes suggested in 1972 for the overall theme "Lakes and ponds" included large deep lakes, large shallow lakes, lakes of complex shape, crater lakes, kettle lake and potholes, oxbow lakes, dune lakes, sphagnum-bog lakes, lakes fed by thermal streams, tundra lakes and ponds, swamps and marshy areas, sinkhole lakes, unusually productive lakes, and lakes of high productivity and high clarity.

Ownership

The NNL program does not require designated properties to be owned by public entities. Lands under almost all forms of ownership or administration have been designated—federal, state, local, municipal and private. Federal lands with NNLs include those administered by the National Park Service, National Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, Fish and Wildlife Service, Air Force, Marine Corps, Army Corps of Engineers, Navy, and others.

Some NNL have been designated on lands held by Native Americans or tribes. NNLs also have been designated on state lands that cover a variety of types and management, as forest, park, game refuge, recreation area, and preserve. Private lands with NNLs include those owned by universities, museums, scientific societies, conservation organizations, land trusts, commercial interests, and private individuals. Approximately 52% of NNLs are administered by public agencies, more than 30% are entirely privately owned, and the remaining 18% are owned or administered by a mixture of public agencies and private owners.

Access

Participation in the NNL Program carries no requirements regarding public access. The NNL registry includes many sites of national significance that are open for public tours, but others are not. Since many NNLs are located on federal and state property, permission to visit is often unnecessary. Some private property may be open to public visitation or just require permission from the site manager. On the other hand, some NNL private landowners desire no visitors whatever and might even prosecute trespassers. The reasons for this viewpoint vary: potential property damage or liability, fragile or dangerous resources, and desire for solitude or no publicity.

Property status

NNL designation is an agreement between the property owner and the federal government. NNL designation does not change ownership of the property nor induce any encumbrances on the property. NNL status does not transfer with changes in ownership.

Participation in the NNL Program involves a voluntary commitment on the part of the landowner(s) to retain the integrity of their NNL property as it was when designated. If "major" habitat or landscape destruction is planned, participation in the NNL Program by a landowner would be ingenuous and meaningless.

The federal action of designation imposes no new land use restrictions that were not in effect before the designation. It is conceivable that state or local governments on their own volition could initiate regulations or zoning that might apply to an NNL. However, as of 2005 no examples of such a situation have been identified. Some states require planners to ascertain the location of NNLs.

List of landmarks

Listed by state or territory in alphabetical order. As of October 2012, there were 594 listings.^[4]

	State or territory	Number of landmarks	Number, non- duplicated	Earliest declared	Latest declared	Image
1	Alabama	7	7	01971-10-01-0000October 1971	01987-11-01-0000November 1987
2	Alaska	16	16
3	American Samoa	7	7
4	Arizona	10	10
5	Arkansas	5	5
6	California	36	36
7	Colorado	14	13 [5]	01963-01-01-00001963	02012-10-01-0000October 2012
8	Connecticut	8	7[6]	01968-04-01-0000April 1968	01973-11-01-0000November 1973
9	Delaware	0
10	Florida	18	18	01964-03-01-0000March 1964	01987-05-01-0000May 1987
11	Georgia	10	10
12	Guam	4	4
13	Hawaii	7	7
14	Idaho	11	11
15	Illinois	18	18	01965-01-01-00001965	01987-01-01-00001987
16	Indiana	30	29 [7]
17	Iowa	7	7
18	Kansas	5	5
19	Kentucky	7	6 [7]
20	Louisiana	0
21	Maine	14	14
22	Maryland	6	5 [8]
23	Massachusetts	11	10[6]
24	Michigan	12	12[9]
25	Minnesota	8	7 [10]
26	Mississippi	5	5
27	Missouri	16	16
28	Montana	10	10
29	Nebraska	5	5
30	Nevada	6	6
31	New Hampshire	11	11
32	New Jersey	11	10[11]	01965-10-01-0000October 1965	01983-06-01-0000June 1983
33	New Mexico	12	12
34	New York	26	25[11]	01964-03-01-0000March 1964	01984-11-01-0000November 1984
35	North Carolina	13	13
36	North Dakota	4	4
37	Ohio	23	23
38	Oklahoma	3	3	01974-12-01-0000December 1974	01983-06-01-0000June 1983
39	Oregon	9	9
40	Pennsylvania	27	27	01964-03-01-0000March 1964	02009-01-01-0000January 2009
41	Puerto Rico	5	5
42	Rhode Island	1	1	01974-05-01-0000May 1974	01974-05-01-0000May 1974
43	South Carolina	6	6	01974-05-01-0000May 1974	01986-05-01-0000May 1986
44	South Dakota	13	12 [10]
45	Tennessee	13	13
46	Texas	20	20
47	Utah	4	4
48	Vermont	12	12
49	Virgin Islands	7	7
50	Virginia	10	10
51	Washington	18	18
52	West Virginia	15	14 [8]
53	Wisconsin	18	18
54	Wyoming	6	5 [5]

See also

• National Historic Landmark

References

External links

• Official National Natural Landmarks of the United States website
• National Natural Landmarks Directory
• Landmarks added in June 2011

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