“Tribe’s Long-Awaited Wish Fulfilled: Biden to Sign Proclamations for New California National Monuments”
Tribes that have long advocated for the protection of sacred California land are on the verge of seeing their wishes come true. President Biden is set to sign proclamations this week creating the new Chuckwalla and Sáttítla national monuments. The Chuckwalla monument will cover 624,000 acres, making it the fifth-largest land-based national monument in the continental U.S. It stretches from the Coachella Valley to the Colorado River and is the ancestral homeland of the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians and other tribes.
Sáttítla will encompass over 224,000 acres of lush forests and pristine lakes near the Oregon border. The Pit River Nation, which led the campaign for the designation, considers the Medicine Lake Highlands area near Mt. Shasta their place of creation. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, the first Native American to serve as a Cabinet secretary, has been instrumental in elevating tribal voices in land management decisions.
The planned designations will protect a combined 848,000 acres of land in California. With these new proclamations, Biden will have designated 10 national monuments using his executive authority under the Antiquities Act of 1906. He has also protected more land and waters than any president in history, according to the White House.
Supporters of the monuments believe they will protect wildlife and culturally significant sites while preventing resource extraction and housing development. However, opponents, including small-scale miners and off-road enthusiasts, fear the designations will stifle recreation and economic opportunities. Some local representatives also oppose the monuments, believing Biden has overstepped his executive power.
The Chuckwalla monument, named for the Chuckwalla lizard, is home to a variety of wildlife, including bighorn sheep, desert tortoises, and burrowing owls. The area is ecologically connected, allowing wildlife to traverse a large expanse of land undisturbed. The Sáttítla National Monument will protect a landscape tied to an Indigenous creation story and provide clean drinking water to the state.
While some renewable-energy advocates worry about the loss of clean-energy sources, others see the designations as crucial for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The timing of Biden’s designations is seen as significant, given the uncertainty surrounding conservation efforts during the previous administration. Conservation has historically been a bipartisan issue, and the protection of public lands is popular among voters.
Overall, the creation of the Chuckwalla and Sáttítla national monuments represents a significant step towards preserving California’s natural and cultural heritage for future generations.