COACHELLA, CA – Tribal leaders, elected officials, and local community members have celebrated President Biden’s announcement that he will designate Chuckwalla National Monument in the California desert.
“Establishing the Chuckwalla National Monument is another major victory for safeguarding California’s public lands for generations to come,” said Senator Alex Padilla. “This historic announcement accelerates our state’s crucial efforts to fight the climate crisis, protect our iconic wildlife, preserve sacred tribal sites, and promote clean energy while expanding equitable access to nature for millions of Californians. This designation reflects years of tireless work from tribal leaders to protect these sacred desert landscapes. President Biden has joined California leaders in championing our treasured natural wonders, and I applaud him for further cementing his strong public lands legacy.”
The new Chuckwalla National Monument will reach from the Coachella Valley region in the west to near the Colorado River in the east. It will protect more than 624,000 acres of public lands located south of Joshua Tree National Park. The designation will advance local priorities in the Eastern Coachella Valley, including honoring tribal sovereignty, boosting the local economy, and ensuring access to nature. The monument boundaries were also specifically drawn to avoid areas identified as suitable for renewable energy development, and the proposal garnered support from the renewable energy industry.
“I am thrilled that President Biden will designate the Chuckwalla National Monument using the Antiquities Act,” said Congressman Raul Ruiz (CA-25). “After years of negotiation and bringing several communities together, this achievement was made possible through the leadership and partnership of many organizations, tribes, and community leaders. Chuckwalla National Monument will pave the way for the future of conservation and renewable energy. I greatly appreciate Senators Padilla and Butler for their support and partnership over the last several years.”
Seven Tribes – along with local cities, elected officials, businesses, scientists, veterans, residents, and more – called for Chuckwalla National Monument and urged the president to protect this important cultural landscape.
“For thousands of years, the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians have called the lands in the Chuckwalla National Monument home,” said Joseph DL Mirelez, Chairman of the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians. “We are happy to see the designation protect this area that contains thousands of cultural places and objects of vital importance to the history and identity of the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians.”
The Chuckwalla National Monument is part of a living landscape that holds spiritual significance for many tribes. The new monument will include interconnected cultural and natural resources that continue to sustain the well-being and survival of Indigenous peoples.
The Tribal Council of the Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe released a statement saying: “The protection of the Chuckwalla National Monument brings the Quechan people an overwhelming sense of peace and joy. This national monument designation cements into history our solidarity and collective vision for our peoples. The essence of who we are lies in the landscapes of Chuckwalla and Avi Kwa Ame. Every trail, every living being, and every story in these places is connected to a rich history and heritage that runs in our DNA. That is why we look forward to the day when we can celebrate adding the proposed Kw’tsán National Monument for protection as well.”
Tribal leaders are also calling on President Biden to designate one more national monument in California before the end of his term: the proposed Kw’tsán National Monument in Southern California.
“The Colorado River Indian Tribes (CRIT) celebrates the permanent and long-term protection of ancestral lands and the cultural landscape through the designation of the Chuckwalla National Monument,” said Amelia Flores, Chairwoman of the Colorado River Indian Tribes. “CRIT has worked tirelessly to preserve and protect water, resources, and sacred sites. This designation clearly affirms CRIT’s spiritual, cultural, and ancestral connection to these lands.”
The designation will provide protection to Indigenous trail systems, sacred sites and objects, important plants and wildlife, and more.
“The Cahuilla Band of Indians strongly applauds the creation of the Chuckwalla National Monument,” said Erica Schenk, Chairwoman of the Cahuilla Band of Indians. “The area includes village sites, camps, quarries, food processing sites, power places, trails, glyphs, and story and song locations, all of which are evidence of the Cahuilla peoples’ and other tribes’ close and spiritual relationship to these desert lands.”
Local elected officials, the cities of Banning, Cathedral City, Desert Hot Springs, Indian Wells, Indio, La Quinta, Palm Desert, and Palm Springs, over 300 businesses, business organizations, and Chambers of Commerce, 370 scientists, and residents of the eastern Coachella Valley and neighboring areas also added their voices in support.
