The White House confirmed on Tuesday that President Joe Biden will create two new national monuments in California to honor Native American tribes. This move is part of Biden’s broader goal to conserve 30% of U.S. lands and waters by 2030 through the “America the Beautiful” initiative.
The proclamations, expected to be signed Tuesday, will establish the Chuckwalla National Monument in Southern California near Joshua Tree National Park and the SáttÃtla National Monument in Northern California. These designations will protect 624,000 acres in Chuckwalla and about 225,000 acres near the Oregon border in Northern California, prohibiting drilling, mining, and other development.
The new monuments aim to protect clean water for surrounding communities, preserve areas of cultural significance to tribal nations and Indigenous peoples, and improve access to natural spaces, according to the White House.
Biden, who is nearing the end of his term, will visit Los Angeles and the Eastern Coachella Valley on Tuesday after meeting with families of victims of a recent New Year’s attack in New Orleans. On Monday, he announced a ban on new offshore oil and gas drilling in most U.S. coastal waters, including those off the West Coast.
These actions are aligned with Biden’s “America the Beautiful” initiative, which began in 2021 and seeks to protect tribal heritage, conserve public lands and waters, and address climate change. The Pit River Tribe has long advocated for the creation of the SáttÃtla National Monument, which holds spiritual importance to the Pit River and Modoc tribes, as well as being home to rare wildlife and plants. The Chuckwalla National Monument, named after the desert lizard, will protect cultural landscapes and military history sites south of Joshua Tree National Park.
Advocates, including Native American tribes and environmental groups, have pushed for the creation of both monuments. Carrie Besnette Hauser, president of the Trust for Public Land, described the designations as historic steps toward safeguarding lands of cultural, ecological, and historical significance. She emphasized the role national monuments like Chuckwalla and SáttÃtla play in addressing historical injustices and providing a more inclusive history of the U.S.
The Chuckwalla monument is particularly significant for honoring tribal sovereignty, as local tribes will serve as co-stewards, similar to the Bears Ears National Monument in Utah. The Fort Yuma Quechan Tribe expressed joy over the monument’s creation, seeing it as the beginning of healing and rebuilding their relationship to the land.
Earlier in 2023, Biden expanded two national monuments in California and designated the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary along the central coast, incorporating input from local Chumash tribes. Additionally, the Yurok Tribe became the first Native American group to manage land in partnership with the National Park Service under a historic agreement.
