Senator Padilla and Representative Ruiz call for Chuckwalla National Monument designation in Southern California

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
April 16, 2024 
Contact: Jessica Dacey, Director of Communications and Public Engagement, MDLT 
Phone: 760-820-2275. Email: jessica@mdlt.org  

STATEMENT 

Senator Padilla and Representative Ruiz call for Chuckwalla National Monument designation in Southern California 

Senator Alex Padilla and Representative Raul Ruiz, M.D. have sent a joint letter to President Biden urging him to use the Antiquities Act to designate the proposed Chuckwalla National Monument. Senator Padilla also introduced and Representative Ruiz re-introduced legislation in support of this same goal. 

The Mojave Desert Land Trust joins Tribal leaders and community representatives in applauding Senator Padilla and Representative Ruiz for championing the proposed Chuckwalla National Monument in the California desert.  

The proposed Chuckwalla National Monument includes approximately 621,000 acres of public lands. It is located south of Joshua Tree National Park and reaches from the Coachella Valley region in the west to near the Colorado River in the East. 

“We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to act for the future stability of this unique desert region and the diverse people who live here,” said Kelly Herbinson, Executive Director, Mojave Desert Land Trust.  

“The proposed Chuckwalla National Monument is situated in one of the largest relatively intact ecosystems in the United States outside Alaska. But this region is under threat from climate disruption and habitat loss. We thank Senator Padilla and Representative Ruiz for championing the need to protect the region’s rich biodiversity, air quality, and cultural and historic sites.” 

Background 

The proposed Chuckwalla National Monument has garnered diverse local support, including from current and former local elected officials, the Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe, the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians, the Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians, the Chemehuevi Indian Tribe, the Colorado River Indian Tribes, the Cahuilla Band of Indians, the cities of Banning, Desert Hot Springs, Indian Wells, Indio and Palm Springs, businesses, Chambers of Commerce, and residents of the eastern Coachella Valley and neighboring areas. 

The Antiquities Act allows presidents to designate federal public lands, waters, and cultural and historical sites as national monuments with a Presidential Proclamation. President Biden is currently on track to protect more public land than any other modern first-term President in history. 

Designating the Chuckwalla National Monument will help ensure more equitable access to nature and recreation, protect biodiversity in the face of climate change, recognize the rich and varied history of this area, and honor a cultural landscape. 

• Currently, there are “islands” of protected public lands in this region, including Joshua Tree National Park and wilderness areas. The proposed national monument and Joshua Tree National Park expansion would connect these “islands” and safeguard core habitat areas and habitat linkages.  

• The lands proposed for protection include 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). The proposed monument would preserve a living landscape with interconnected cultural, natural, and spiritual significance by providing protections to important heritage values tied to the land such as traditional cultural places, plants, and wildlife.  

• The proposed National Monument will protect areas that were used for training U.S. soldiers for battle in World War II. 

• It will help ensure equitable access to nature for residents of the eastern Coachella Valley and other local communities. 

• Preserving this region is critical to California’s efforts to fight climate change and conserve biodiversity. Given the size of the monument, it would contribute significantly to state and federal commitments to protect at least 30% of public lands and coastal waters by 2030.  

The Mojave Desert Land Trust (MDLT) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with the mission to protect and care for lands with natural, scenic, and cultural value within the Colorado and Mojave Deserts. Since its founding in 2006, MDLT has conserved approximately 120,000 acres, conveying more tracts of land to the National Park Service than any other nonprofit. MDLT established a conservation seed bank to ensure the preservation of native species and operates an onsite nursery at its Joshua Tree headquarters which has grown over 120,000 native plants for restoration projects and community landscaping. MDLT educates and advocates for the conservation of the desert, involving hundreds of volunteers in our work. For more information, visit mdlt.org.