“One of the great legacies of this incredible country of ours is our national parks and national monuments,” he said. “It is something that we pass on from generation to generation, preserving the incredible beauty of this nation, but also reminding us of the richness of its history.”

The Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument, which covers about 331,000 acres in Northern California, is a “biodiversity hot spot,” the administration said, and includes dozens of ecosystems. It also includes Native American cultural sites.

The Waco Mammoth National Monument includes the well-preserved remains of Columbian mammoths from more than 65,000 years ago, including the nation’s only recorded discovery of a nursery herd of mammoths. Remains of other Pleistocene-epoch animals, including the Western camel, the saber-toothed cat and the giant tortoise, have also been uncovered there.

The Basin and Range National Monument, less than two hours outside Las Vegas, covers about 704,000 acres that feature cultural sites, including petroglyph and prehistoric rock art panels. Also located there is “City,” a huge abstract sculpture that the artist Michael Heizer has been building in the desert since the 1970s. It is considered an important example of the American land-art movement.