
Chuckwalla Mountains box canyon / BLM photo
The Washington Post is reporting President Biden will soon use his authority under the Antiquities Act to preserve hundreds of thousand of acres south of Joshua Tree National Park as the new Chuckwalla National Monument. President Biden is scheduled to visit the area on January 7, possibly to make a formal appearance dedicating the monument, though the White House has yet to make an official announcement.
The size of the proposed monument looks to be at least 600,000 acres, covering an area south of the border of Joshua Tree National Park to the convergence of the Mojave Desert with the Sonoran and Colorado Deserts. It's an ecologically rich and unique area, home to desert tortoise, kit foxes, golden eagles, and the monument’s namesake — chuckwalla lizards. There are numerous tribal sacred sites in the area that would be protected from disturbance as well.
Back in April, U.S. Rep. Raul Ruiz and Sen. Alex Padilla prepared legislation that would create the Chuckwalla National Monument while also expanding Joshua Tree National Park by more than 17,000 acres. That legislation ultimately failed, but only after Ruiz, joined by tribal leaders, conservationists, and fellow legislators presented a petition with 800,000 signatures urging the president to designate the monument and expand Joshua Tree.
"We feel very excited, because this is a monument that can bring multiple benefits to the local community, and to area tribes," Audubon California's Fran Ruiz told the Desert Sun in April. "It can bring a boost to the local economy, and provide easy and affordable public access (to recreation), especially for communities in the eastern Coachella Valley that already border these areas."
It's unclear whether or not the Joshua Tree expansion will be part of Biden's presumed announcement. Even without it, the area comprised by the national park and the newly designated monument would form one of the largest contiguously protected areas in the country.
President Biden is also expected to announce the designation of Sáttítla National Monument in Northern California, a 200,000-acre chunk of land near the Oregon border. The local Pit River Tribe has long fought energy development in the region and has pushed for the creation of a national monument to protect that landscape.
The designation of these monuments will help push the White House closer to its goal to protect 30% of lands and waters by 2030.
We'll update the story once details and the designation are finalized.