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President Biden on Tuesday, just days before leaving office, strengthened his conservation legacy with the construction of two new vast national monuments in the California desert and the far north that protect lands considered sacred by tribes.
Biden will lead the Sattitra National Monument, which spans 624,000 acres of Chuckwalla National Monument south of Southern California’s Joshua Tree National Park and more than 224,000 acres of pristine forest and unique geology near the Oregon border. Signed the proclamation establishing Highland National Monument.
“Natural wonders are the heart and soul of our nation,” Biden said in a speech at the White House. “They unite us. They inspire us.”
Biden said he and his wife, Jill, have made it a tradition to take their children and grandchildren to visit national parks and monuments each year.
He said he wanted people to “see, feel, smell, taste and see” what had been preserved, and thought of former President Theodore Roosevelt and others who worked to protect the land. said.
“Imagine if they didn’t act,” he said.
Supporters argue that the new monument will protect many vulnerable wildlife and culturally significant sites while deterring development and resource extraction, including clean energy. Native American tribes led efforts to protect the land.
The signing came a week after the president canceled a trip to make the designation to the picturesque valley of Chuckwalla because of severe winds that sparked fires in Los Angeles County.
Law enforcement personnel along the river gather at Box Canyon to prepare security for President Biden during his press conference announcing Chuckwalla National Monument. The event was canceled due to strong winds.
(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
Biden said he is working closely with California Governor Gavin Newsom and state representatives to “ensure that California has every resource available to fight these fires and help survivors.” He said there was.
He added that the disaster “is not about blue states versus red states, it’s not about conservatives versus liberals. It’s about the United States of America.”
The new monument protects a total of 848,000 acres of land in California. With the new proclamation, Biden will use executive authority under the Antiquities Act to designate 10 national monuments and expand or change several more, including two in the Golden State. It will be.
He will also have saved more land and water than any president in history, according to the White House. Biden last week took steps to protect the East and West Coasts and the Bering Sea north of Alaska from offshore oil and gas drilling.
Supporters of the new monument had been pressing Biden to build the monument before Trump takes office on Monday. President Trump has scaled back monuments in Western countries during his first term, and the far right has called for repealing the Antiquities Act, a 1906 law that allows presidents to designate national monuments.
Biden was joined at Tuesday’s signing event by Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, the first Native American to serve as a Cabinet secretary.
She said that when she and the president took on the role, they “fundamentally understood that tribes must be at the forefront of efforts to conserve the lands and waters that we all depend on.” .
“We are grateful that he has committed his administration to listening to the voices of tribes and communities across the country and preserving the places that are core to our identity and common experience.” said of Biden.
Opponents of the latest monument, including small-scale miners, off-road enthusiasts and some local elected officials, fear the designation will hamper recreation as well as economic and energy opportunities. are. Critics believe Mr. Biden abused his executive power and hope the next administration will reverse the president’s actions.
Times staff writer Alex Wigglesworth contributed to this report.
A male chuckwall lizard in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. Chuckwalla National Monument is named after the stocky reptile
(Ernie Cowan/San Diego Union-Tribune)
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