Chuckwalla National Monument is a proposed National Monument[1] located in the Colorado Desert of Southern California. The proposed monument's area would protect roughly 660,000 acres (1,031 sq mi; 2,671 sq km) of desert habitat in Riverside and Imperial counties from development.[2] In September 2023, Congressman Raul Ruiz introduced federal legislation to create the monument, with support from California senators Alex Padilla and Laphonza Butler.[3][4] The act would also expand the adjacent Joshua Tree National Park by roughly 17,000 acres, and split management of the monument between the Bureau of Land Management and the local Cahuilla Indian tribe.[4]
Features
editThe monument is named after the chuckwalla lizards native to the area. Other local wildlife include Desert bighorn sheep and Desert tortoise.[5] Some of the areas that would be absorbed into the monument include the already protected Mecca Hills and Orocopia Mountains.[2] Existing outdoor recreational and historical sites that would become part of the monument include the Eagle Mountain Railroad, various training sites dating from World War II, and already existing hiking trails.[6]
Protection Efforts
editCalls for land protection in the area have come from a variety of sources, including the Cahuilla, Chemehuevi, Mohave, Quechan, and Serrano tribes, who together propose that Joe Biden create the monument under the powers of the Antiquities Act.[4] The nearby Yuma tribe also seeks to protect nearly 400,000 acres as the Kw'tsán National Monument.[4][7] Additionally, the monument designation is supported by Audubon, California Native Plant Society, Center for Biological Diversity, Sierra Club, and others.[8]The land that would constitute the proposed monument is all owned and managed by the federal government, but would be set aside to protect the existing environment from expanding suburban developnment and solar and wind energy projects.[2]
Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland visited the area in May 2024.[9]
References
edit- ^ Butler, Mark (2023-11-25). "Opinion: California's majestic desert must be preserved. This proposal can help". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2023-11-26.
- ^ a b c "Joshua Tree National Park expansion gains momentum with Chuckwalla National Monument plan". The Desert Sun. Retrieved 2023-11-26.
- ^ "Sierra Club Joins Calls to Designate Chuckwalla National Monument | Sierra Club". www.sierraclub.org. 2023-09-25. Retrieved 2023-11-26.
- ^ a b c d "Chuckwalla National Monument would protect swath of California desert and preserve a sacred land". Los Angeles Times. 2024-04-28. Retrieved 2024-04-29.
- ^ "Audubon Celebrates Legislation to Create New California Desert National Monument". Audubon California. 2023-09-25. Retrieved 2024-04-29.
- ^ "EXPLORE - Protect Chuckwalla National Monument". protectchuckwalla.org. 2023-08-09. Retrieved 2024-04-29.
- ^ "Kw'tsán National Monument". Kw'tsán National Monument. Retrieved 2024-04-29.
- ^ "COALITION - Protect Chuckwalla National Monument". protectchuckwalla.org. Retrieved 2024-04-29.
- ^ Streater, Scott (2024-05-20). "Haaland visits site of proposed Southern California monument". E&E News by POLITICO. Retrieved 2024-05-30.