President Barack Obama is fulfilling a State of the Union pledge to preserve more federal lands by adding more California coastline to a national monument.

Obama on Tuesday signed a proclamation permanently protecting some 1,665 acres in Northern California’s Mendocino County, just north of Point Arena. He says he wants to make sure the land is cherished and preserved for future generations.

The action expands the California Coastal National Monument that President Bill Clinton created in 2000. The protected area includes coastal bluffs and shelves, onshore sand dunes, tide pools, coastal prairies, riverbanks and the mouth and estuary of the Garcia River. Obama noted that it provides an economic boost to the region through tourism.

Obama’s proclamation bypasses Congress, where many public lands bills have been stalled.

Copyright (2014) Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

