Located 130 miles southeast of Cape Cod, the Northeast Canyons & Seamounts Marine National Monument is the ONLY marine national monument in the Atlantic Ocean.
This designation ensures the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts will be preserved for future generations by prohibiting any environment-altering activities, like oil drilling.
The entire monument stretches for 4,913 square miles—about the same size as Connecticut—and it supports a unique ecosystem unlike anywhere else in the world. With that unique ecosystem comes a high degree of biodiversity, including many threatened, endangered, and even undiscovered species.
Connecticut's Congressional delegation—led by Senator Richard Blumenthal—championed the effort to protect the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts, and President Barack Obama designated them as a National Marine Monument in 2016.
RECENT UPDATES
It has been two years since protections for the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts were re-established. The Biden Administration has since been working to develop a long-term management plan for this pristine national marine monument. The draft management plan as well as Commercial Fishing Regulations must be approved and adopted to ensure we prevent any damaging activities in the monument, and to protect this critical habitat for the health of our planet and all its inhabitants.
VICTORY! On October 8th, 2021, President Biden restored full protections to the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts National Monument that had been rolled back under Trump. This is a big win for our ocean, marine life and conservation efforts nationwide! President Biden's actions fulfill a promise to safeguard our lands and oceans and heed the calls of millions of Americans that spoke up alongside Tribes, scientists, and business owners in support of protecting our national monuments. The White House said, “Restoring the Monument’s conditions will restore its integrity, expand the opportunity for unique scientific study and exploration, and protect and preserve natural and cultural resources for all Americans.” This is a continuation of efforts to renew protections for natural resources in the future, and achieve our national goal of protecting 30% of land and waters by 2030.Protecting our natural resources is critical to buffer us against the worst impacts of climate change!
CTLCV joined 155 groups in sending Biden a Thank You letter for restoring monument protections.
The NOAA Okeanos Explorer submarine will be in the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument July 27 and 28 as part of their 2021 North Atlantic Stepping Stones: New England and Corner Rise Seamounts Expedition. Get the link HERE to watch the July 27 LIVE DIVE from the Monument along with a live virtual Q&A session with experts from Mystic Aquarium, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and NOAA Okeanos Explorer!
The research from these dives will help us determine what is needed to protect remaining healthy ocean habitats and reach our national goal of preserving 30% of our oceans and lands by 2030.
On June 17th, 2021 Secretary of the Interior Deb Haalaand recommended restoring full protections to the Northeast Canyons and Seamount Marine National Monument weakened by former president Trump. By restoring protections President Biden will right a wrong, protect our delicate ocean ecosystems from harm, and show his commitment to our national conservation goal of preserving 30% of our lands, waters, and oceans by 2030 (30 by 30). To understand the urgent need for protections, read CTLCV's latest op-ed!
On March 22, 2021 CTLCV co-hosted a virtual World Water Day celebrationas part of the UN global effort to highlight what water means to us. Senator Richard Blumenthal had a special message on the value of the Canyons and Seamount marine ecosystem for our planet and future generations.
On January 20, 2021, Newly elected President Joe Biden Takes Executive Action to Restore our National Monuments! Environmental groups in Connecticut are applauding President Biden’s Executive Order (EO) on Protecting Public Health and the Environment by Restoring Science to Tackle the Climate Crisis. Among other important actions to protect our environment and address the climate crisis, the EO sets in motion a process to review Trump Administration rollbacks to three National Monuments. This includes New England’s own Marine National Monument, the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts. This 5,000 square mile protected area was established in 2016 under President Obama and is the first National Monument in Atlantic waters.
U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal issued a statement regarding this rollback: "The President's rollback of protections for New England's only national marine monument on World Environment Day is a brazen, intentional slap in the face of all Americans. Instead of focusing on the COVID-19 pandemic or the calls for racial justice, President Trump has taken yet another abhorrent axe to environmental protections. The Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument is a spectacular underwater seascape that is both precious and priceless. Preserving its rich biodiversity and pristine marine ecosystem is simply the right thing to do. I will continue to fight for the protection of this aquatic treasure to ensure that exquisite parts of our planet are protected for our children and grandchildren.
In February, 2020 two Blue Whales, our most critically endangered whale species, were spotted at the Canyons and Seamounts monument along with 322 other whale and dolphin species within a six hour period. Read the articles Newsweek and CT Post published.
A federal appeals court is upholding the Canyons and Seamounts Monument as the Atlantic Ocean's first marine national monument. This is the latest judicial confirmation to verify the designation.
THE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE
Climate change is causing our oceans to become warmer and more acidic, and we are still learning just how this impacting the health of ecosystems like the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts.
Congresswoman DeLauro's support was essential to securing Canyons and Seamounts as the first-ever marine national monument in the U.S. Atlantic Ocean. Now we are asking her to secure $500,000 in research funding to study the impacts of climate change on this monument. Click the button below to join CTLCV in this effort.
The Antiquities Act of 1906 states that once monuments are designated, only Congress has the authority to abolish or modify them according to the Property Clause in the Constitution. Presidents do not have the authority to modify borders or to revoke national monument status.
President Trump has made it clear that he wants to alter any and all national monument status, as he said it was a “massive federal land grab,” and publicly-owned land should be returned back to the states for whatever use they choose, including oil drilling, commercial development, and resource extraction; completely disregarding the fact that these national monuments provide safe habitat for hundreds of species and boost the tourism economy of the states they’re in.
This year lawmakers in Washington DC have introduced S 367 and HR 1050 to strengthen the Antiquities Act of 1906 in order to protect our public lands. The Antiquities Act of 2019 has three main components.
Officially declares Congress’ support for the 52 presidential national monument designations form 1996-2018.
Reinforces that presidential proclamations designating monuments are valid and cannot be diminished except by an act of Congress.
Increases protections for presidentially-designated monuments by mandating that they be surveyed and mapped, and that a management plan be created within two years of the designation. Also by receiving adequate or extra funding to ensure that the monument is providing as much economic or tourist benefits to the state as possible.
The Antiquities Act of 2019 would also establish a National Monument Enhancement Fund to provide $100,000,000 every fiscal year for federal acquisition and development of recreational infrastructure at monuments.
