Washington D.C. – In response to the public meeting hosted by the Department of the Interior to hear from community members on the proposal to designate Chuckwalla National Monument, the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) and California EnviroVoters issued the following statements:

“Today’s public meeting is an important step forward to designate Chuckwalla National Monument and further build on President Biden’s outstanding conservation legacy of protecting over 41 million acres during his administration,” said LCV Conservation Program Director America Fitzpatrick. “LCV is proud to support the Tribal and local leaders who have tirelessly advocated for the designation of Chuckwalla National Monument, an area of the California desert rich in cultural, recreational, spiritual, and ecological resources. We look forward to working alongside these leaders and the Biden-Harris administration to protect these sacred lands, which remains the lifeblood of several Indigenous communities to this day.”

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“Chuckwalla is an ecologically, recreationally, and culturally rich region and a deeply sacred landscape for many Indigenous groups in southern California,” said Mike Young, Senior Political and Organizing Director, California Environmental Voters. “We are so grateful to the local and Tribal leaders who have spoken out in favor of the national monument designation today and throughout this campaign to highlight the countless ways these lands serve our southern California communities, from providing recreational opportunities to housing clean energy infrastructure and more. We urge the Biden-Harris administration to designate Chuckwalla National Monument as soon as possible to protect these lands for people to use and enjoy for generations to come.”

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