Monticello & UVA under UN Management

I discovered a few weeks ago that Yellowstone National Park is currently under the management of the United Nations (and has been for several decades). When I told my dad about it, he was surprised. So I set out to find the proof to back up my claim, and this is what I found: Both Monticello and UVA are under the UN's authority as well!

Here's a little blurb about UNESCO, an arm of the United Nations...

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) seeks to encourage the identification, protection and preservation of cultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be of outstanding value to humanity. This is embodied in an international treaty called the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, adopted by UNESCO in 1972.

You can learn more about UNESCO's World Heritage mission here.

They have a list of properties on their website that are "protected" by the UN, and here's just a smattering of what's listed.

Cultural

* Independence Hall (1979)
* Monticello and the University of Virginia in Charlottesville (1987)
* Statue of Liberty (1984)

Natural

* Everglades National Park (1979)
* Grand Canyon National Park (1979)
* Great Smoky Mountains National Park (1983)
* Olympic National Park (1981)
* Redwood National Park (1980)
* Yellowstone National Park (1978)
* Yosemite National Park (1984)

There doesn't appear to be any added in in the 1990s or even 2000s. I'm not sure why, but there's a list of properties that have been submitted for consideration in 2008. And look what's being considered here in Virginia:

* Thomas Jefferson Buildings (2008)
* Mount Vernon (2008)

Can you imagine what Thomas Jefferson and George Washington would have thought to have had their homes placed under the control of World Government? By the way, one of those "Thomas Jefferson Buildings" is our very own State Capitol Building in Richmond!

What do you think about that?

UPDATE 2:46PM: I called Monticello this afternoon and asked what this meant being on "the list". The young lady I spoke to (very nice, by the way) indicated Monticello was owned by a private non-profit foundation and they controlled the operations of the site. However, she confirmed that this location was recognized as a World Heritage site, the only home in America to have this honor. She referred me to wikipedia for more information.