The Coalitions Presented More Than 800,000 Petition Signatures in Support of Designating and Expanding National Monuments
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Earlier today, members of Congress joined Tribal and community leaders from across the country for a press conference and petition delivery where they called on the Biden Administration to expand, designate, and protect national monuments and sacred lands.
Specifically, elected officials, Tribal leaders, local elected officials, and coalition advocates called for the designation of these proposed national monuments: Great Bend of the Gila in Arizona; the expansion of Berryessa Snow Mountain (Molok Luyuk) and San Gabriel Mountains national monuments, and designations of Chuckwalla, Sáttítla – Medicine Lake Highlands, and Kw’tsán in California; Dolores Canyons in Colorado; 1908 Springfield Race Riot in Illinois, Julius Rosenwald & Rosenwald Schools sites in Illinois and Maryland; Bahsahwahbee – Swamp Cedars in Nevada; and Owyhee Canyonlands in Oregon.
SEE PHOTOS HERE: https://dam.gettyimages.com/assignments/members-of-congress-tribal-leaders-and-community
WATCH THE PRESS CONFERENCE HERE: https://www.facebook.com/MonumentsForUSA/videos
At the press conference, the coalition presented more than 800,000 petitions of people who are calling on President Biden to use his power under the Antiquities Act to protect the cultural, historic, and ecological resources in the places within potential national monuments.
“Our public lands are some of California’s greatest natural wonders, helping to preserve generations of cultural history, combat climate change, and provide crucial access to green spaces,” said U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (CA). “The San Gabriel Mountains, Molok Luyuk, and the Chuckwalla Mountains desert landscape represent some of our state’s most treasured landscapes, and it’s past time we provide them full protection and official national monument designation. Our proposals reflect the input of tribal leaders, local officials, and partners who have fought for years to protect these lands. I look forward to working with the Biden Administration to ensure these marvels are protected for future generations to enjoy.”
“I am honored to introduce the Chuckwalla National Monument Establishment and Joshua Tree National Park Expansion Act of 2024, alongside California U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Laphonza Butler. I am particularly proud of the collaboration and leadership from a robust coalition, including local tribal leaders, conservationist groups, members of the renewable energy industry, utility companies, community organizations, and youth leaders. They have built the necessary momentum and agreements to ensure this project’s success,” said U.S. Representative Raul Ruiz, M.D. (CA-25). “The Chuckwalla National Monument is good for the environment, the economy, and the public’s health. It aims to protect pristine wildlife habitats, endangered plants and animals, and sacred sites of significant spiritual importance to local tribes, crucial for their cultural preservation. Additionally, it will enhance tourism and economic opportunities in our region and provide a new venue for constituents to hike, bike, and enjoy the breathtaking landscapes and natural beauty of our desert. This monument will play an important role in addressing California’s and our nation’s climate change goals while promoting the growth of renewable energy. I am thrilled that we have reached this milestone together and call on President Biden to use the Antiquities Act to expedite the creation of the monument.”
“Despite having the San Gabriel Mountains in our backyard, Los Angeles is among the most park-poor regions of the country with underserved communities lacking access to green spaces and missing out on the proven mental and physical health benefits associated with recreation and the outdoors,” said Rep. Judy Chu (CA-28). “For over a decade, I’ve been so proud to work alongside a dedicated campaign of tribal leaders, environmental advocates, and community activists to protect the San Gabriel Mountains for future generations. President Obama designated much of the San Gabriel Mountains as a National Monument in 2014, but this designation left out more than 100,000 acres in the western Angeles Forest. That’s why Sen. Padilla and I have called on President Biden to use his authority under the Antiquities Act to expand the National Monument boundary to include these sacred public lands and unlock federal resources and supports to protect the mountains for generations to come.”
“Conserving California’s special places has been a lifelong passion throughout my tenure in the state legislature, as Deputy Secretary of the Interior to President Clinton, and now as a member of Congress,” said U.S. Representative John Garamendi (CA-08). “I hope President Biden heeds our call to issue a presidential proclamation expanding the national monument, renaming ‘Walker Ridge’ to ‘Molok Luyuk,’ also known as ‘Condor Ridge,’ and providing tribal co-management of these ancestral homelands
“The 1908 Springfield Race Riot is an example of our nations’ deep history of racial violence – it’s also the story of strength and resilience that led to the creation of the NAACP and the fight for civil rights,” said U.S. Representative Nikki Budzinski (IL-13). “Since coming to Congress, I’ve been pushing for our history to be appropriately recognized by introducing bipartisan legislation to designate the site of the 1908 Springfield Race Riot as a national monument, and by leading the Illinois congressional delegation in a request for President Biden to memorialize the site by invoking the Antiquities Act. Today, I was glad to continue calling on the White House to take action and honor Springfield’s important role in the civil rights movement.”
“For thousands of years, the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians have called the
lands in the proposed Chuckwalla National Monument home,” said Chairman Thomas Tortez Jr. of the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians. “The area contains thousands of cultural places and objects of vital importance to the history and identity of the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians. We strongly support the designation of the Chuckwalla National Monument and thank Senator Alex Padilla and Representative Raul Ruiz for championing this effort.”
“For generations the Pit River People have fought to defend our homelands, Culture, and the center of our creation narrative, which is written in the sacred landscape of Sáttítla, an area which encompasses the Medicine Lake Highlands,” said Pit River Tribal Chairman Yatch Bamford on Sáttítla Medicine Lake Highlands. “Sáttítla is a place where our people have gathered for tribal activities and cultural ceremonies since time immemorial. Constant threats to these lands managed by the Forest Service have united our Tribe, other Indigenous peoples, and allies from near and far who added their names to our petition in calling for permanent protections for sacred lands and waters through a national monument designation. We ask this for our people, for all of America, and for future generations. Protect Sáttítla!”
“For thousands of years, our Goshute and Western Shoshone peoples gathered at Bahsahwahbee to celebrate life, hold ceremonies and dances, and practice our customs and traditions. Because of this, our ancestors were targeted and killed during these religious gatherings in three separate massacres, one being one of the largest massacres of Indian people in US history,” said Councilman Richard Williams, Confederated Tribes of the Goshute Reservation. “As Americans, our shared history is worth honoring and commemorating to the highest standards, which is done through the National Park System. The Confederated Tribes of the Goshute Reservation, Duckwater Shoshone Tribe, and Ely Shoshone Tribe call on President Biden to take swift action to establish the Bahsahwahbee National Monument within the National Park System. Our Tribal Leaders, elders and members have broad support from surrounding communities, industries, political leaders and everyday citizens, bringing us all together for a common cause and by doing so making us a stronger nation.”
“Kw’tsán – our traditional homelands – is a place where visitors are often awestruck by the natural and extraordinary beauty of the prehistoric rock formations and the one-of-a-kind animal and plant life,” said Fort Yuma Quechan Tribal Councilman Donald Medart . These alone are reasons to call for the preservation of this precious history. For the Quechan people it is so much more. National monument designation status for the land means preserving the lifeways, culture, stories, and teachings that connect us to our past, present, and future. We’re calling on President Biden to help us continue to share the beauty of these places that our ancestors entrusted us to steward by indefinitely protecting them through Kw’tsán National Monument designation.”
“The San Gabriel National Monument Expansion includes the location of an ancient site tied to the Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians story of tújú, the old woman who turned into stone on the hillside facing the San Fernando Valley,” said Miguel Luna, Director of Tribal Historic and Cultural Preservation Department, Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians. “For generations, this site was visited by Tribal peoples across Southern California as a pilgrimage site. Today, approximately 30% of the Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians descend from the village of Tújúnga. The protection of these sites is of extreme importance to the Tribe, and we urge President Biden to advance the expansion of the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument not just for the current descendants but also for future generations to come.”
“The Owyhee Canyonlands provide critical spaces for all Oregonians, especially people of color, Indigenous people and Queer people like me to experience the majesty of nature in ways that resonate with them,” said Pattie Gonia, environmental activist and drag queen. “Protecting the Owyhee Canyonlands is a direct climate solution and a chance to do right by nature. President Biden must act now to establish the Owyhee Canyonlands National Monument to ensure we have a healthy planet for future generations.”
“Thank you, Senator Padilla and Representative Ruiz, for championing the effort to designate the new Chuckwalla National Monument,” said Frank Ruiz, Salton Sea Program Director of Audubon California. “As our communities face the impacts of climate change, this is a critical step in protecting the special places that both people and birds need. Not only will the designation preserve vital habitat and safeguard the area’s biodiversity, it will ensure that local residents have access to the great outdoors.”
“The site of the 1908 Springfield Race Riots, which documents a racial massacre that was a catalyst for the formation of the NAACP, would be a valuable addition to the National Park System,” said Rev. T. Ray McJunkin, Lead Pastor, Union Baptist Church, Springfield. “Malcolm X once said, ‘Education is the passport to the future.’ I sincerely believe that highlighting the story of Springfield through a National Monument would be a passport that will never expire.”
“The designation of the proposed Dolores Canyons National Monument will protect Colorado’s most vulnerable biodiversity hotspot, while honoring our past, safeguarding our present, and investing in a future where Colorado’s rich natural beauty continues to inspire and enrich the lives of all Americans,” said Mayor Anna Stout of Grand Junction, Colorado.
“The San Gabriel Mountains are a unique and treasured landscape, adding 109,000 acres of the Angeles National Forest to the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument will help ensure that more Angelenos, especially historically underserved communities, can access and learn more about this beloved region and sacred lands, now and for generations to come,” said Belén Bernal, Executive Director, Nature For All. “On behalf of the Nature for All Coalition, we urge President Biden to expand the national monument in Los Angeles County!”
“I ask President Biden to use his authority under the Antiquities Act to designate a Great Bend of the Gila National Monument,” said Skylar Begay, Director of Tribal Collaboration with Archaeology Southwest. “The Great Bend of the Gila is the hub in a great wheel with spokes that reach out to all corners of the Southwest. Over a dozen sovereign Tribal Nations from Arizona, New Mexico, and California maintain deep connections to this part of the Gila River. The Great Bend has also played an integral role in the earliest history of this Nation. It is our hope that once this place is protected as a national monument, that interested Tribal Nations will manage the monument alongside the Bureau of Land Management as equals.”
“As a City Councilor and long-time civic leader, I know how important the protection of the Owyhee Canyonlands is to our local community and economy,” said Eddie Melendrez, Ontario City Councilor. “The Canyonlands are truly a national icon, complete with a rich cultural history, incredible recreational opportunities and some of the most rugged and remote canyons remaining in the United States. National Monument designation would protect this incredible region and promote sustainable recreation, economic development and the well being of our community for decades to come.”
“Molok Luyuk is a gem of rich cultural heritage and history, diverse wildlife and rare plants, stunning natural beauty, and accessible recreational activities,” said Sandra Schubert, Executive Director of Tuleyome. “Protecting it respects its cultural heritage and gets us closer to our shared America the Beautiful goals. We are honored to stand with the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation to urge President Biden to expand the existing monument and permanently protect the entirety of Molok Luyuk.”
“After helping make Sears Roebuck the retailing powerhouse of early 20th century America, Julius Rosenwald used his immense fortune to partner first with Booker T. Washington and nearly 5,000 African-American communities in 15 Southern states to build schoolhouses for their children who were receiving little to no education,” said Dorothy Canter, president, Julius Rosenwald & Rosenwald Schools National Historical Park Campaign. “Famous graduates included the late Congressman John Lewis, Maya Angelou and Medgar Evers. This is a powerful and positive story that demonstrates that our nation is better when we work together. As Rosenwald so aptly said, “I do not see how America can go ahead if part of its people are left behind.” It is as relevant today as it was nearly a century ago. We urge President Biden to bring this story to life as a National Park monument.”
The Antiquities Act of 1906 grants U.S. Presidents the ability to designate federal public lands, waters, and cultural and historical sites as national monuments with a Presidential Proclamation. Since taking office, President Biden has used the Antiquities Act to designate five national monuments – putting him on the verge of setting the record for the most public land protected by a President in their first term in the last four decades.
Although 18 U.S. presidents, nine democrats and nine republicans, have used the Antiquities Act to protect national monuments, this authority is continually threatened by Republicans in the House of Representatives. Most recently in March, the House Natural Resources Federal Lands Subcommittee held a hearing on H.R. 5499, which would forcibly sunset national monument designations while limiting future designations and undermine the meaningful Tribal engagement at the center of many modern designation efforts.
With only nine months left in President Biden’s first term, the coalition says there’s more to be done to instill permanent protections for federal lands and for Biden to secure his record in acreage of land conserved. Polling shows that 85% of voters in eight Western states overwhelmingly support new public land protections, and four in five Western voters support President Biden’s 30 x 30 goal.
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