Vermilion Cliffs National Monument

Vermilion Cliffs National Monument
IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape)
The Wave in the Coyote Buttes
Location	Coconino County, Arizona, United States
Nearest city	Page, Arizona
Coordinates	36°48′23″N 111°44′28″W / 36.80639°N 111.74111°W / 36.80639; -111.74111Coordinates: 36°48′23″N 111°44′28″W / 36.80639°N 111.74111°W / 36.80639; -111.74111
Area	293,689 acres (118,852 ha)
Established	November 9, 2000
Governing body	U.S. Bureau of Land Management
Website	Vermilion Cliffs National Monument

Vermilion Cliffs National Monument is located in Arizona, immediately south of the Utah state line. This National Monument, 293,689 acres (118,852 ha) in area, protects the Paria Plateau, Vermilion Cliffs, Coyote Buttes, and Paria Canyon. Elevations in the Monument range from 3,100 feet to 6,500 feet above sea level (944 to 1,981 meters).

Established on November 9, 2000 by a presidential proclamation by President Bill Clinton, Vermilion Cliffs National Monument was carved from existing lands already under the management of the U.S. Government in extreme northern Coconino County, Arizona, immediately south of the border with the state of Utah. The monument is administered by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, an agency within the U.S. Department of the Interior. The Vermilion Cliffs themselves run along the southern and eastern edges of this National Monument. Much of the Monument's land consists of the Paria Plateau, a flat area extending northward from the tops of the cliffs.

The Vermilion Cliffs are steep eroded escarpments consisting primarily of sandstone, siltstone, limestone, and shale which rise as much as 3,000 feet (910 m) above their bases. These sedimentary rocks have been deeply eroded for millions of years, exposing hundreds of layers of richly colored rock strata. Mesas, buttes, and large tablelands are interspersed with steep canyons, where some small streams provide enough moisture to support a sampling of wildlife.

More than twenty species of raptors, including bald eagles and golden eagles, peregrine falcons, and several hawk species, have been observed. The endangered California condor has been re-introduced into this region recently due to its remote location and lack of human habitation. Desert bighorn sheep, pronghorns, and mountain lions make up most of the large mammals found here, with about 30 more species of smaller mammals. Several examples of rare fish species, such as the flannelmouth sucker and the speckled dace live in the streams of the National Monument. The Welsh's milkweed, a threatened plant species that grows on sand dunes and helps stabilize them, is known to exist only in this National Monument and one other area in neighboring Utah.