President Biden Establishes New National Monuments in California

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is signing a proclamation to establish two new national monuments in California, aimed at honoring two tribes, according to a source familiar with the decision. The proclamation will create the Chuckwalla National Monument in Southern California, near Joshua Tree National Park, and the Sattitla National Monument in Northern California.

This declaration will prohibit drilling, mining, and other forms of development over a combined area of 800,000 acres, including 600,000 acres in Southern California and approximately 200,000 acres in Northern California.

The announcement, first reported by The Washington Post, comes as Biden, who has two weeks left in office, is in New Orleans meeting with families of victims from the New Year’s attack in the French Quarter before heading to California.

This initiative aligns with President Biden’s “America the Beautiful” program launched in 2021, which aims to honor tribal heritage, conserve 30% of public lands and waters by 2030, and tackle climate change. The Pit River Tribe has been advocating for the federal government to designate the Sattitla National Monument, while several Native American tribes and environmental advocates began pressing for the Chuckwalla National Monument, named after the large desert lizard, at the start of 2023.

The Chuckwalla area would safeguard public lands south of Joshua Tree National Park, extending from the Coachella Valley region to near the Colorado River. Supporters argue that the Chuckwalla National Monument will protect a vital tribal cultural landscape, ensure access to nature for local residents, and preserve significant military history sites.

In August 2024, the California Legislature passed a resolution urging the establishment of the Chuckwalla National Monument and another National Park Service-managed national monument adjacent to Joshua Tree National Park. Additionally, they called for the creation of the Kw’tsan National Monument, which would border Mexico and Arizona.

Tribal leaders have emphasized the importance of honoring tribal sovereignty by including local tribes as co-stewards of the Chuckwalla monument, following the precedent set by other monuments like the Bears Ears National Monument in Utah, which is overseen in cooperation with five tribal nations.

“The protection of the Chuckwalla National Monument brings the Quechan people an overwhelming sense of peace and joy,” stated the Fort Yuma Quechan Tribe. “Tribes being reunited as stewards of this landscape is only the beginning of much-needed healing and restoration, and we are eager to fully rebuild our relationship to this place.”

This year, the Biden administration also expanded two national monuments in California: the San Gabriel Mountains in the south and Berryessa Snow Mountain in the north. In October, Biden designated the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary along the central California coast, including input from local Chumash tribes regarding area preservation. Last year, the Yurok Tribe in Northern California became the first Native people to regain tribal land from the National Park Service under a historic memorandum of understanding involving the tribe, Redwood National and State Parks, and the nonprofit Save the Redwoods League.