First new national monument

President Joe Biden designated the first national monument of his administration at Camp Hale. The announcement at Camp Hale is a boost to the state's senior Democratic senator, Michael Bennet, who has for years advocated for the designation and is in a competitive re-election bid this November.

The location is an alpine training site where U.S. soldiers prepared for battles in the Italian Alps during World War II. Many troops who trained at Camp Hale returned to Colorado after the conflict and helped create the state's lucrative ski industry.

While most national monuments protect extraordinary natural landscapes, there are at least 12 other military sites designated as national monuments by other presidents.

The Biden administration also announced Wednesday it is pausing new mining and oil and gas drilling on 225,000 acres of public land in the Thompson Divide, a natural gas-rich area not far from Camp Hale. The move is separate from the monument designation.