In one of President Biden’s final acts as head of state, he will announce the establishment of two new national monuments in California to honor tribal lands. The sites are in rocky mountain desert near Joshua Tree, as well as dense forests and pristine lakes near the Oregon border.
A source who requested anonymity confirmed to The Times that in the coming days, Biden will sign proclamations creating the 644,000-acre Chakwala National Monument in Southern California and the 200,000-acre Sacra National Monument in Northern California. Titla National Monument. The Washington Post reported the news earlier.
By taking this action, the President will fulfill the wishes 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.
“It gives you confidence that the process is working and that Native voices are being listened to,” said Brandy McDaniels, a member of the Pit River Tribe who helped lead the creation of Sattetra National Monument. Work. “We have spent our lives protecting this area and it’s hard to put into words how important this is to us.”
However, these efforts have not been without criticism. Biden’s impending actions could unsettle groups that want to use the Chakwala Monument area for solar power, mining and off-roading, as well as those that want to use the Satytra area for geothermal energy, mining and timber. He would also frustrate conservatives who believe the president abused his power in building monuments.
However, those who support these monuments can now breathe a sigh of relief after winning what seemed like a race against time to protect these lands.
Trump’s enthusiasm for the plan comes even though Biden has already used his executive powers under the Antiquities Act of 1906 to create six national monuments and expand several others, including two in California. But nowhere near that high. During his first term, Trump established no new national monuments and removed a total of nearly 2 million acres from two national monuments in Utah.
Chuckwala National Monument will be located southeast of Joshua Tree National Park. Efforts to preserve the site are led by the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians, who have lived in the desert areas of Southern California, including the Coachella Valley near Joshua Tree, for thousands of years.
Thomas Tortez, chairman of the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Tribal Council, stands near the entrance to Painted Canyon, a sacred cultural site for California’s Native people.
(Tyrone Beeson/Los Angeles Times)
The monument takes its name from the squat chuckwallah lizards that frequent the area, which is also home to bighorn sheep, desert tortoises, kangaroos, burrowing owls and jackrabbits.
“For thousands of years, the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians have called the lands of Chaquehuala National Monument their home,” said Joseph DL Mirelez, president of the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians. “We are pleased to see this designation protect an area that contains thousands of cultural sites and objects critical to the history and identity of the Cahuilla Indians of the Torres Martinez Desert.”
The monument will begin in Painted Canyon near the eastern edge of the Coachella Valley, where the rocky hills and canyon walls are painted in light pinks, reds, grays, browns and greens. For the Cahuilla Indians of the Torres Martinez Desert, the red color of the hills represents the bleeding heart of their creator, Mukat, who was exiled to this land and whose remains became the native source of nourishment for his people. vegetation.
750 miles north, the new Sáttitla National Monument will also protect land associated with Aboriginal creation stories. The 11 bands of the Pitt River Tribe consider the Medicine Lake Highlands area near Mount Shasta their ancestral homeland.
“For Pit River people, this is the physical place of our creation and a very sacred place in the narrative of our people,” McDaniels said. “Beyond that, this is a very unique and spectacular area of biodiversity that supports habitats, ecosystems and fisheries.”
The monument encompasses the stunning natural beauty of portions of the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, Klamath National Forest, and Modoc National Forest. There are lush green forests, abundant wildflowers, intricate cave systems and potable water that can be consumed on site.
It is often called the headwaters of California because its lakes and aquifers help provide clean drinking water to the rest of the state.
The Pitt River Tribe has long been involved in lawsuits to block the development of geothermal energy systems in the region. McDaniels said the new landmark designation will help prevent something like this from happening in the future.
“We have fought our entire lives to protect this area because it is a tribe and a socially, economically suppressed, under-resourced community,” McDaniels said. “It is important to protect this area for future generations. , so they can heal without having to constantly protect our natural resources from ongoing threats.”
Some renewable energy advocates say the monument would result in the loss of a vital source of clean energy that would advance the Biden administration’s agenda to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Chakwala National Monument also faces resistance from groups hoping to harness the power of the desert sun to produce solar energy.
