In a significant move to expand conservation efforts, President Joe Biden has declared the establishment of two new national monuments in California, encompassing a total of 848,000 acres of public land. These areas are not only ecologically important but also hold cultural significance for several tribes from Arizona and California.
The newly designated Chuckwalla National Monument covers 624,000 acres south of Joshua Tree National Park, a unique region where the Mojave and Colorado deserts converge. This area is a biodiversity hotspot, supporting over 50 rare species, including the desert bighorn sheep, Agassiz’s desert tortoise, and the Chuckwalla lizard from which the monument takes its name.
Tribal connections to the Chuckwalla area are strong, with the Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe and Colorado River Indian Tribes holding ancestral ties. Other tribes, including the Cahuilla, Chemehuevi, and Serrano peoples, also have historical connections to this land, which lies west of the Arizona-California border.
Managed by the Bureau of Land Management, Chuckwalla National Monument is a critical piece of the Moab to Mojave Conservation Corridor. This corridor is described by the White House as the most extensive stretch of protected lands in the contiguous United States, extending approximately 600 miles from Utah through Arizona and Nevada to California, covering about 18 million acres in total.
In addition to Chuckwalla, 224,000 acres in Northern California have been designated as the Sáttítla Highlands National Monument. This area, which contains the dormant Medicine Lake Volcano, is managed by the U.S. Forest Service. It holds cultural importance for various tribes, including the Karuk, Klamath, Modoc, Shasta, Siletz, Wintu, Yana peoples, and the Pit River Tribe.
President Biden has utilized the Antiquities Act to designate a total of 10 new national monuments during his term, while also expanding and restoring protections for several others. This has resulted in the preservation of over 674 million acres of land and water, marking a significant achievement in conservation under his administration.
Although President Biden had planned to announce the new monuments during a visit to Coachella Valley, the event was postponed due to hazardous wildfires in Los Angeles’ Pacific Palisades area. The White House ceremony is now rescheduled for the following week.
