As one of his final acts as head of state, President Biden will declare two new national monuments in California honoring tribal lands. The sites are in rocky mountain desert near Joshua Tree, and in dense forests and pristine lakes near the Oregon border.
Biden is expected to sign a proclamation in the coming days establishing the 644,000-acre Chuckwalla National Monument in Southern California and the 200,000-acre Sattitra National Monument in Northern California, said the person, who requested anonymity. confirmed this to the Times. The news was first reported by the Washington Post.
By taking this action, the President recognizes the commitment of tribal members and environmentalists who have fought for generations to protect these sacred Native lands and their rich natural resources from industrialization, development, and degradation. Your wish will come true.
“This gives us renewed confidence that the process is working and that people are listening to Native American voices,” said Brandi McDaniels of the Pit River Tribe, who led the effort to establish Sattitra National Monument. he said. “We have fought all our lives to protect this area, and it’s hard to put into words how important this is to us.”
However, this initiative is not without criticism. Mr. Biden’s future actions will help groups that want to use the Chuckwalla Monument area for solar power, mining, and off-roading, and groups that want to use the Sattitra area for geothermal energy, mining, and timber. likely to be upsetting. It will also frustrate conservatives who believe the president abused his power by building the monument.
But those who support the monument are now breathing a sigh of relief, having won what may have seemed like a race against time to protect these lands.
Biden has already used executive authority under the Antiquities Act of 1906 to build six national monuments and expand several others, including two in California, but Trump has He doesn’t show much enthusiasm for the plan. During his first term, President Trump created no new national monuments and removed a total of about 2 million acres from two national monuments in Utah.
Chuckwalla National Monument is located southeast of Joshua Tree National Park. Efforts to protect the site were led by the Tres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians, who have lived for thousands of years in the desert region of Southern California, including the Coachella Valley near Joshua Tree.
Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Tribal Council President Thomas Tortes stands near the entrance to Painted Canyon, a sacred cultural site for California Native Americans.
(Tyron Beeson/Los Angeles Times)
The monument takes its name from the stocky chuckwalla lizard that frequents the area, which is also home to bighorn sheep, desert tortoises, kangaroo rats, burrowing owls, and jackrabbits.
“For thousands of years, the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians have called the lands of Chuckwalla National Monument home,” said Joseph DL Mireles, Chairman of the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians. “We are pleased that this designation protects this area, which includes thousands of cultural sites and objects of great importance to the history and identity of the Cahuilla Indians of the Tres Martinez Desert.”
The monument begins in the Painted Canyon near the eastern end of the Coachella Valley. There, the rocky hills and canyon walls are washed in shades of pale pink, red, gray, brown, and green. For the Cahuilla Indians of the Tres Martinez Desert, the red color of the hills represents the bleeding heart of the creator god Mukat, who was exiled here and whose remains became the native plants that nourished the people.
About 1,250 miles north, the newly established Sattitra National Monument will also protect lands associated with Native American creation stories. The 11 bands of the Pit River Tribe consider the Medicine Lake Highlands area near Mount Shasta their ancestral homeland.
“For Pitt River people, this is the actual place where we were created, and it’s a very sacred place in our people’s story,” McDaniels said. “Additionally, it is a very unique and highly biodiverse area that supports habitats, ecosystems and fisheries.”
The monument sits on a stunning natural landscape in parts of the Shasta-Trinity, Klamath, and Modoc National Forests. There are lush green forests, an abundance of wildflowers, an intricate cave system, and potable water available on site.
It is also called the Headwaters of California because its lakes and aquifers help provide clean drinking water to other parts of the state.
The Pit River Tribe has been involved in lawsuits for years to block the development of geothermal energy systems in the area. McDaniels said the new landmark designation will help prevent similar efforts in the future.
“We’ve fought our whole lives to protect this region because it’s a tribal, socially and economically oppressed community that doesn’t have a lot of resources,” McDaniels said. “It is critical that we protect this region for future generations and allow it to heal from ongoing threats without constantly defending its natural resources.”
Some renewable energy advocates argue that the monument would eliminate a critical source of clean energy that would advance the Biden administration’s agenda to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Chuckwalla National Monument also faced pushback from groups who want to harness the power of the desert sun for solar energy.
