Establishment of the Waco Mammoth National Monument

President Obama used the Antiquities Act to establish the Waco Mammoth National Monument, withdrawing approximately 7.11 federal acres in Texas from development and directing the National Park Service to manage the site. The proclamation preserves a unique nursery herd of Columbian Mammoths and requires a management plan within 3 years.

Federal Register Open PDF 80 FR 41983

Impact dates

Jul 10, 2018
Management plan due from Secretary of Interior

Key directives

Establish Waco Mammoth National Monument on approximately 7.11 federal acres
Withdraw federal lands from entry, location, selection, sale, mining patents, and mineral/geothermal leasing
Secretary of Interior shall manage monument through National Park Service
Secretary shall prepare management plan with full public involvement within 3 years of proclamation date
Management plan must address relationship to other paleontological sites
National Park Service shall enter into agreements with governmental and nongovernmental organizations including City of Waco, Baylor University, and Waco Mammoth Foundation
Monument shall be dominant reservation over existing withdrawals

Who is ordered

Secretary of the Interior · Department of the Interior

Timeline

Immediate

Monument establishment takes effect
Federal lands withdrawn from entry, sale, mining, and mineral leasing

Near term (90d)

—

Long term

Management plan due within 3 years
Ongoing cooperative agreements with local partners
Continued preservation and research of paleontological resources

Risks & tensions

Local partnership structure (City, Baylor, Foundation) with federal overlay may create jurisdictional complexity
Specimen ownership transfer from Baylor to federal government not yet completed at time of proclamation—potential for delay or dispute
7.11 acres is very small; long-term protection depends on successful cooperative agreements rather than direct federal control of surrounding lands