The Obama Administration is considering adding up to fourteen locations across the western part of the United States to the list of National Monuments. In a memo that was leaked to the press, the wilderness areas are outlined and described as “good candidates” for consideration.

Though I’m quite a fan of keeping wild spaces protected through inclusion in the National Parks System (or National Forest Service or Bureau of Land Management), and quite a few environmental groups are optimistic about the possibility of these new additions, others have voiced quite a different opinion. Gary Herbert, Governor of Utah had a radical interpretation of the possible designations, saying that, “the Interior Department is secretly looking at a proposal to lock up public lands in Utah,” finding it “both upsetting and offensive.” However, his is not the only voice being heard. In a statement to the Salt Lake City Tribune, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance’s Richard Peterson-Cremer said, ““Given the attention Congress gives to Utah wilderness, it should come as no surprise that the administration is considering protections for Utah’s incomparable landscapes such as the San Rafael Swell and Cedar Mesa. The success of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument has demonstrated to Utahns and Americans the benefits of protecting these special places.”

The full list of locations to be considered is listed below:

• San Rafael Swell, UT
• Montana’s Northern Prairie, MT
• Lesser Prairie Chicken Preserve, NM
• Berryessa Snow Mountains, CA
• Heart of the Great Basin, NV
• Otero Mesa, NM
• Northwest Sonoran Desert, AZ
• Owyhee Desert, OR/NV
• Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, CA (expansion)
• Vermillion Basin, CO
• Bodie Hills, CA
• The Modoc Plateau, CA
• Cedar Mesa, UT
• San Juan Islands, WA

Additionally, Bristol Bay and Teshekpuk Lake in Alaska and the Red Desert in Wyoming have been considered for the Conservation Designation status. They are ineligible for National Monument status but the administration sees the importance of conserving these wild areas.

Check out The Adventure Life to read more about the proposed National Monuments, as well as view a copy of the leaked document.