A new bill would protect a cultural landscape and access to nature for SoCal communities

During the “Monumental Call to Action” press event and petition delivery, Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) called on President Biden to use the Antiquities Act to designate approximately 627,855 acres of public land as Chuckwalla National Monument and expand Joshua Tree National Park. Padilla, alongside Laphonza Butler (D-CA) and Representative Raul Ruiz (D-CA-25), introduced bicameral legislation today to protect these public lands for their unique natural, cultural, and historical resources of the California Desert.

Alicia Thomas, California Community Partnerships Manager of The Wilderness Society, said “The legislation proposed by Senator Padilla is a significant step forward in protecting California’s deserts. A national monument would expand equitable access to nature for our desert communities, protect millennia of cultural heritage, and increase landscape connectivity to further protect the many endemic species within this unique transitional area in the SoCal deserts. Communities in Imperial and Riverside Counties have long-standing legacies honoring the relationship between people and landscape, and the Chuckwalla National Monument will ensure that present and future generations can continue to foster those connections. We applaud Senator Padilla for standing with Tribal and community leaders in their call for action.” 

The proposed Chuckwalla National Monument is southeast of Joshua Tree National Park and north of the Chocolate Mountains. To the west is the Coachella Valley region, and to the east is the Colorado River. It’s the 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). Bighorn sheep, desert tortoise, and endangered Sonoran pronghorn also call this region home. 

Since 1906, 18 presidents from both political parties have used the Antiquities Act to protect treasured places and waters from coast to coast. National monuments can provide more equitable access to nature, address the climate crisis, restore America’s biodiversity and wildlife, and hold time-honored stories for future generations.

For more information on the legislation, visit Padilla, Butler, Ruiz Introduce Legislation and Call on President Biden to Establish the Chuckwalla National Monument. 

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