ExecutiveOrdersEO
Proc 8803ProclamationObama · D

Proclamation 8803

Establishment of the Fort Ord National Monument

President Obama designated approximately 14,651 acres of former military land at Fort Ord, California as the Fort Ord National Monument under the Antiquities Act. The proclamation withdraws federal lands from development, establishes management responsibilities between the Department of the Interior (BLM) and Department of the Army, and mandates a transportation plan for visitor access while preserving the area's natural, historic, and scientific resources.

Federal Register Open PDF 77 FR 24579

Impact dates

  1. Army land transfer to BLM per 1995 MOU

  2. Transportation plan preparation and maintenance

Key directives

  • Designate approximately 14,651 acres as Fort Ord National Monument
  • Withdraw federal lands from all forms of entry, location, selection, sale, leasing, or disposition
  • Secretary of Army to continue managing ~7,446 acres until transfer to BLM per 1995 MOU
  • Secretary of Interior through BLM to manage ~7,205 acres and eventually transferred Army lands
  • Secretary of Interior through BLM to prepare and maintain transportation plan with designated roads/trails for bicycling and other purposes
  • Motorized vehicle use permitted only on designated roads; non-motorized mechanized vehicles only on designated roads and trails
  • Transportation plan to be revised upon Army-to-Interior land transfer

Who is ordered

Timeline

Immediate

  • National monument designation takes effect
  • Federal lands withdrawn from entry, location, selection, sale, leasing, or other disposition
  • Mining and mineral/geothermal leasing prohibited

Near term (90d)

  • Secretary of Interior through BLM to prepare transportation plan in coordination with Secretary of Army

Long term

  • Army lands to transfer to BLM per 1995 MOU
  • Ongoing remediation of hazardous substances/munitions by Army
  • Implementation of Installation-Wide Multispecies Habitat Management Plan

Risks & tensions

  • Interagency coordination required between Army and Interior; potential disputes governed by MOU dispute resolution process
  • Army retains hazardous substance/munitions remediation responsibilities indefinitely, creating parallel jurisdiction
  • Valid existing rights and state fish/wildlife jurisdiction preserved, potentially complicating unified management
  • Transportation plan revision triggered by uncertain land transfer timeline
Proclamation 8803: Establishment of the Fort Ord National Monument · Executive Orders