The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) passed resolutions in support of the proposed Chuckwalla National Monument and Kw’tsán National Monument at their recent annual convention. NCAI is the oldest, largest organization dedicated to serving the broad interest of American Indian and Alaska Native governments and communities. NCAI’s support underscores the cultural significance of the landscapes and the call from Tribes to designate the monuments. 

“The Desert is a rich tapestry of our heritage; it’s a living, breathing testament to our people’s resilience, our history, and our spiritual connection with nature,” said Chairman Thomas Tortez Jr. of the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians. “Our footprints have been etched into the landscape since the beginning of time and we continue to provide stewardship over these lands and advocate for their protection. This profound bond is why we urge President Biden to establish the Chuckwalla National Monument.”

The proposed Chuckwalla National Monument includes public lands in Riverside and Imperial Counties. 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. Lands within the proposed national monument are the traditional homelands of the Iviatim, Nüwü, Pipa Aha Macav, Kwatsáan, and Maara’yam peoples (Cahuilla, Chemehuevi, Mohave (Colorado River Indian Tribes/CRIT Mohave), Quechan, and Serrano nations). Collectively, six Tribes have called on President Biden to protect the Chuckwalla National Monument: 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, and the Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians. For Tribes who have inhabited this region since time immemorial, there are many Tribal heritage values and cultural resources throughout this living landscape in need of enduring protection.  

The Kw’tsán National Monument proposal includes more than 390,000 acres of the Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe’s homelands in Imperial County. The proposed monument is part of a greater cultural landscape that connects to the Chuckwalla National Monument and the previously designated Avi Kwa Ame National Monument in Nevada. Designating Kw’tsán National Monument would protect cultural and sacred sites.

The California Legislature passed resolutions by bipartisan vote urging President Biden to designate these new national monuments through 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.