Laura Deehan
State Director, Environment California Research & Policy Center
[email protected]
Statement: Overwhelming public support for proposed Chuckwalla National Monument
Media Contacts
INDIO, Calif. – Hundreds of supporters of the Chuckwalla national monument proposal attended a public meeting on Friday to show members of the Biden administration that they support protecting the area. The meeting was held by the Bureau of Land Management to discuss the department’s management of portions of the Sonoran Desert, which is important for wildlife habitat, recreation, history and holds cultural significance for local tribes.
If designated, the new monument will create a continuous wildlife corridor from Joshua Tree National Park to the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge across the Arizona border, protecting imperiled wildlife species such as the Sonoran pronghorn, desert tortoises, and Chuckwalla lizards. This month, Environment California Research & Policy Center delivered signed petitions from more than 16,000 supporters and a statement of support signed by more than 70 organizations to the White House and Department of the Interior in support of the proposed monuments.
President Joe Biden has the power to designate federal public lands, waters, and cultural and historical sites as national monuments under the Antiquities Act of 1906, which he has used to designate five new monuments during his presidency. United States Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland visited the proposed site in May to meet with local officials, advocates and tribal leaders about the proposed monument.
Following the meeting, Environment California Research & Policy Center State Director Laura Deehan issued the following statement:
“It was inspiring to see so much support today for the Chuckwalla National Monument proposal. In the face of biodiversity loss, we must protect thirty percent of our lands, including California’s desert habitats for the sake of imperiled species. It’s time to protect the home of the Chuckwalla lizard, desert tortoise and all of the other wildlife in this special area. We urge the President to listen to the supporters who turned out today and act to designate the Chuckwalla National Monument.”
For More Information:
Laura Deehan, State Director, 415-420-4710, [email protected]
Jack Goodrich, Communications Associate, 619-345-4956, [email protected]
