Coachella, CA — Today, Representative Raul Ruiz, M.D.– a longstanding conservation and environmental justice champion– alongside members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), sent a letter to President Joe Biden urging him to use the Antiquities Act to designate the Chuckwalla National Monument in the California Desert. Earlier this year, Representative Ruiz and U.S. Senator Alex Padilla led a joint letter with members of the California congressional delegation to President Biden with the same request. Rep. Ruiz also re-introduced legislation in support of this same goal in April 2024.

The CHC letter– along with strong public support, a recent visit by Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, and a community meeting for local leaders hosted by the Department of the Interior– underscores the urgency and importance of protecting this vast and impressive landscape. Protecting the area stands to boost and diversify local economies, ensure access to the outdoors for residents, and protect biodiversity and cultural resources.

“Chuckwalla National Monument is a remarkable landscape rich in historical importance,” said Congressman Dr. Raul Ruiz (CA-25). “Chuckwalla provides a natural and spiritual oasis for locals and tourists and highlights the benefits of the natural environment for everyone. Our local communities have rallied together in support of the Chuckwalla National Monument, and the final step is for President Biden to make the designation under the authority of the Antiquities Act of 1906.”

The proposed Chuckwalla National Monument includes approximately 627,000 acres of public lands. It is located south of Joshua Tree National Park and reaches from the Coachella Valley region in the west to near the Colorado River in the East. Given the size of the monument, it would contribute significantly to state and federal commitments to protect at least 30% of public lands and coastal waters by 2030. 

Latino communities from eastern Coachella Valley and surrounding areas face significant challenges in accessing outdoor recreation, making them among the most benefited by a Chuckwalla designation. Some popular trails and places of interest that would be protected as part of the monument include Painted Canyon and Box Canyon in the Mecca Hills area, Corn Springs Campground, and the Bradshaw Trail.

“The CHC has endorsed Rep. Ruiz’s effort to urge President Biden to designate the Chuckwalla National Monument,” said Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair Nanette Barragán (CA-44). “We proudly join this effort led by our colleague and a coalition of more than 225+ businesses and hundreds of families in our support for this critical designation. Southern Californians, including large Latino communities in the Coachella Valley, would enjoy continued and enhanced access to these public lands and the increased health benefits that come with utilization of outdoor recreation areas.”

The Chuckwalla region is also a living landscape with intertwined cultural, natural, and spiritual meanings that continue to sustain the well-being and survival of the Iviatim, Nüwü, Pipa Aha Macav, Kwatsáan, and Maara’yam peoples who have been connected to these lands since time immemorial.

The designation of the Chuckwalla National Monument by President Biden would cement his legacy as a public lands champion. To date, President Biden has designated five new national monuments and expanded two, protecting over 1.6 million acres of public lands using the Antiquities Act. By designating Chuckwalla National Monument, President Biden can solidify an immense conservation achievement: protecting the most public lands using the Antiquities Act of any recent president in their first four years in office.