\WASHINGTON, D.C. — This week, tribal leaders and representatives are in Washington, D.C. advocating for the designation of the Chuckwalla National Monument in the California Desert. The proposed Chuckwalla National Monument is a living landscape with interconnected cultural, natural, and spiritual significance that continues to sustain the well-being and survival of Indigenous peoples today. 

The designation of Chuckwalla National Monument would protect the homelands of the Iviatim, Nüwü, Pipa Aha Macav, Kwatsáan, and Maara’yam peoples, also known as the Cahuilla, Chemehuevi, Mohave (CRIT Mohave), Quechan, and Serrano nations. The proposed monument would help protect important heritage values tied to the land such as multi-use trail systems established by Indigenous peoples and sacred sites and objects, as well as honor Tribal sovereignty and introduce methods for Tribes to co-steward their homelands as partners with federal agencies.

“Since time immemorial, we have called the lands in the proposed Chuckwalla National Monument home. These lands contain thousands of cultural places and objects of vital importance to the history and identity of the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians. We urge President Biden to designate this National Monument,” said Secretary Altrena Santillanes of the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians.

Glenn Lodge, Chairman of the Chemehuevi Indian Tribe added: “These lands encompass our origins, history, songs, religious ceremonies, ancient sites, trails, petroglyphs, artifacts, and intaglios spread throughout our traditional territories. Our footsteps are etched into the landscape since the beginning of time, and we continue to provide stewardship over these lands. We wholeheartedly support the proposed Chuckwalla National Monument,”

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. These lands are a sanctuary for a wide variety of wildlife, including rare or endangered species such as the bighorn sheep, the chuckwalla lizard, the desert tortoise, and thousands of migratory birds. Given the size of the proposal area, designating the monument would contribute significantly to state and federal commitments to protect at least 30% of public lands and coastal waters by 2030.

“As the original stewards of these lands we have been tasked with preserving the cultural, natural, and spiritual values imparted by our ancestors. Therefore, caring for these lands is a sacred duty and honor. We urge President Biden to use the Antiquities Act to designate Chuckwalla National Monument so all communities can have equitable and sustainable access,” said David Harper of the Mojave Elders for the Colorado River Indian Tribes (CRIT).

Protecting these public lands would also help ensure more equitable access to nature for eastern Coachella Valley communities and surrounding areas. 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.

Senator Alex Padilla, Representative Raul Ruiz, M.D., 24 members of the California Congressional Delegation including Senator Laphonza Butler, and local leaders have called for President Biden to designate the Chuckwalla National Monument with the Antiquities Act. This 1906 law allows presidents to designate federal public lands, waters, and cultural and historical sites as national monuments with a Presidential Proclamation. Senator Padilla and Representative Ruiz also have introduced legislation in support of this same goal.

“For the Quechan people, a national monument designation status for the land means preserving the lifeways, culture, stories, and teachings that connect us to our past, present, and future. We’re calling on President Biden to help us continue to share the beauty of these places that our ancestors entrusted us to steward by indefinitely protecting them,” said Donald Medart, Jr., Council Member, Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe Council.

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.

“We are in the nation’s capital to call on President Biden to use the Antiquities Act to designate Chuckwalla National Monument. The cultural resources and landscapes within the monument are not just a legacy from our ancestors but a treasure to preserve for generations to come as the original stewards of these lands,” said Jonathan Koteen, Council Member of the Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe Council added:

The proposed national monument has garnered diverse local support, including from the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians, the Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe, the Cahuilla Band of Indians, the Chemehuevi Indian Tribe, the Colorado River Indian Tribes, the Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians, current and former local elected officials, the cities of Banning, Cathedral City, Desert Hot Springs, Indian Wells, Indio, La Quinta, Palm Desert, and Palm Springs, over 225 businesses, business organizations and Chambers of Commerce, and residents of the eastern Coachella Valley and neighboring areas.