More than 500,000 acres of land within the California-Nevada-Arizona Triangle have been declared a national monument for conservation and protection from development. Located about 15 miles from the California border, the new monument connects with the Mojave Desert and further expands the population of the world’s largest Joshua Tree.
At the White House Conservation Action Summit last week, President Joe Biden appointed Abi Kwa Ame in Nevada (which translates to “Spirit Mountain” in Mojave) is the state’s newest national monument. Joins his three other monuments in Nevada (Basin and Range, Gold Butte, and Tule Springs).
The designation covers 506,814 acres, including Ava Kwa Ame, which is 5,963 feet high.
Also during the summit, Biden Designated as the Castner Range in Texas He directed the Secretary of Commerce to make it a national monument and considered creating a National Marine Sanctuary on a remote Pacific island near Hawaii.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks at the White House Conservation Action Summit at the U.S. Department of the Interior in Washington, March 21, 2023.
Kevin Deitch/Getty ImagesDesignating Abi Kwa Ame as a National Monument is a victory for the Fort Mojave Indian Tribes, Years ago, we petitioned the government To preserve the landscape forever. It is a highly sacred setting for many tribal nations and indigenous peoples, including the Mojave, Kemehuevi and Southern Paiute.
In that declaration Written by the Biden Administration The Yuman believe that creation began in the mountains where the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts meet.
“For a tribal state that traces its creation to Abi Kwa Ame, the power and importance of this place lies not only in the mountain itself, but also in the valleys and surrounding desert landscape, which contains landmarks and places of spiritual significance. It radiates across the mountain range, united by oral traditions and beliefs,” the proclamation said.
A view of Spirit Mountain, a mountain of cultural significance to local tribes, in Laughlin, Nevada, November 17, 2020.
Getty Images Washington PostAbi Kwa Ame connects the eastern Mojave Desert and Lake Mead National Recreation Area. The Joshua Tree Forest is home to wildlife such as bighorn sheep, desert turtles and Gila monsters.national monument Managed by the Department of Land Management, Ministry of the Interiorthe Reclamation Service, and the National Park Service.
Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo criticized the designationarguing that the Biden administration did not consult him, and that maintenance will come at the expense of jobs and economic growth.
“The federal confiscation of 506,814 acres of land in Nevada is a historic mistake that will cost Nevadans for generations,” Lombardo said in a statement.
