This measure would urge the President of the United States to use the federal Antiquities Act of 1906 to establish the Chuckwalla National Monument, to establish a National Park Service-managed Joshua Tree National Monument adjacent to Joshua Tree National Park, and to establish the Kwtsan National Monument.

This measure would urge the President of the United States to use the federal Antiquities Act of 1906 to establish the Chuckwalla National Monument, to establish a National Park Service-managed Joshua Tree National Monument adjacent to Joshua Tree National Park, and to establish the Kwtsan National Monument.

This measure would urge the President to use the Antiquities Act of 1906 to establish the Chuckwalla National Monument, and to establish a National Park Service managed Joshua Tree National Monument adjacent to Joshua Tree National Park. Park, and to establish the Kwtsan National Monument.

This measure would urge the President to use the Antiquities Act of 1906 to establish the Chuckwalla National Monument, and to establish a National Park Service managed Joshua Tree National Monument adjacent to Joshua Tree National Park.

WHEREAS, Approximately 60 percent of land in the continental United States is in a natural state, but we are losing a football field worth of it every 30 seconds, and the decline of nature threatens wildlife, as approximately 1,000,000 animal and plant species are at risk of extinction in the coming decades across the globe, including one-third of United States wildlife; and

WHEREAS, The United States Geological Survey reports that only 12 percent of the nations lands and inland waters are permanently protected, and other studies show that roughly 23 percent of the nations coastal waters are currently strongly protected, with the vast majority of ocean protections found in the Pacific Ocean along the western coast of the United States; and

WHEREAS, On January 27, 2021, President Biden signed Executive Order No. 14008, which launched a governmentwide effort to confront climate change, restore balance on the nations public lands and waters, create jobs, and provide a path to align the management of the nations public lands and waters with national climate, conservation, and clean energy goals; and

WHEREAS, Executive Order No. 14008 directs the United States Department of the Interior to outline steps to achieve the Presidents commitment to conserve at least 30 percent each of the nations lands and waters by the year 2030, known as the 30x30 goal, in order to safeguard the nations health, food supplies, biodiversity, and the prosperity of every community and to undertake the process with broad engagement, including agricultural and forest landowners, fishermen, outdoor enthusiasts, sovereign tribal nations, states, territories, local officials, and others, to identify strategies that reflect the priorities of all communities; and

WHEREAS, In October 2020, Governor Newsom outlined a comprehensive and results-oriented agenda to expand nature-based solutions across California through Executive Order No. N-82-20, elevating the role of natural and working lands in the fight against climate change, advancing biodiversity conservation as an administration priority, and committing the state to the goal of conserving 30 percent of state lands and coastal waters by 2030; and

WHEREAS, Executive Order No. N-82-20 directs the Natural Resources Agency to coordinate the execution of the 30x30 goal with other state agencies and stakeholders through a series of actions, including the development of a strategy document by February 2022 titled Pathways to 30x30, that sets California on the path to successfully implement our 30x30 conservation goal; and

WHEREAS, California tribal nations have protected and conserved their indigenous and aboriginal lands since time immemorial, utilizing Traditional Ecological Knowledge, also known as Indigenous Knowledge or Native Science, evolved over hundreds of thousands of years through direct contact with the environment, and are continuing the tradition of stewardship by leading efforts to establish or expand national monument land protections in California; and

WHEREAS, The Cahuilla, Chemehuevi, Mojave, Quechan, and Serrano nations are leading the effort to establish the Chuckwalla National Monument to protect approximately 627,000 acres of federal public lands that reach from the Coachella Valley region in the west to the Colorado River in the east; and

WHEREAS, Designating the Chuckwalla National Monument would help ensure equitable access to nature, honor a cultural landscape, and protect the deserts unique biodiversity, wildlife habitat, landscape connectivity, and history; and

WHEREAS, The Cahuilla, Chemehuevi, Mojave, Quechan, and Serrano nations are calling to protect approximately 17,000 acres of public lands that are adjacent to the east side of Joshua Tree National Park, as these lands are a living landscape with interconnected cultural, natural, and spiritual significance, which sustains the well-being and survival of Indigenous peoples today; and

WHEREAS, The Joshua Tree expansion area would connect to the proposed Chuckwalla National Monument and other protected places, which would help ensure land connectivity for indigenous species, and would also preserve places of cultural and historical importance, including the homelands of the Cahuilla, Chemehuevi, Mojave, Quechan, and Serrano nations; and

WHEREAS, The Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe is leading the effort to establish the Kwtsan National Monument, which would protect more than 390,000 acres of the tribes aboriginal homelands located in the County of Imperial, California; and

WHEREAS, The proposed Kwtsan National Monument lands contain incredible cultural, ecological, recreational, scenic, and historic values, including trails, desert life, petroglyphs, geoglyphs, and lithics, and the establishment of a national monument would provide protections for wildlife, cultural places, sacred sites, and scenic features; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate and the Assembly of the State of California, jointly, That the State of California urges the President to use the federal Antiquities Act of 1906 (54 U.S.C. Sec. 320101 et seq.) to establish the Chuckwalla National Monument, to establish a National Park Service-managed Joshua Tree National Monument adjacent to Joshua Tree National Park, and to establish the Kwtsan National Monument; and be it further

Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the President and Vice President of the United States, the United States Secretary of the Interior, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, the Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives, the Majority Leader of the United States Senate, the Minority Leader of the United States Senate, and to each Senator and Representative from California in the Congress of the United States.

WHEREAS, Approximately 60 percent of land in the continental United States is in a natural state, but we are losing a football field worth of it every 30 seconds, and the decline of nature threatens wildlife, as approximately 1,000,000 animal and plant species are at risk of extinction in the coming decades across the globe, including one-third of United States wildlife; and

WHEREAS, The United States Geological Survey reports that only 12 percent of the nations lands and inland waters are permanently protected, and other studies show that roughly 23 percent of the nations coastal waters are currently strongly protected, with the vast majority of ocean protections found in the Pacific Ocean along the western coast of the United States; and

WHEREAS, On January 27, 2021, President Biden signed Executive Order No. 14008, which launched a governmentwide effort to confront climate change, restore balance on the nations public lands and waters, create jobs, and provide a path to align the management of the nations public lands and waters with national climate, conservation, and clean energy goals; and

WHEREAS, Executive Order No. 14008 directs the United States Department of the Interior to outline steps to achieve the Presidents commitment to conserve at least 30 percent each of the nations lands and waters by the year 2030, known as the 30x30 goal, in order to safeguard the nations health, food supplies, biodiversity, and the prosperity of every community and to undertake the process with broad engagement, including agricultural and forest landowners, fishermen, outdoor enthusiasts, sovereign tribal nations, states, territories, local officials, and others, to identify strategies that reflect the priorities of all communities; and

WHEREAS, In October 2020, Governor Newsom outlined a comprehensive and results-oriented agenda to expand nature-based solutions across California through Executive Order No. N-82-20, elevating the role of natural and working lands in the fight against climate change, advancing biodiversity conservation as an administration priority, and committing the state to the goal of conserving 30 percent of state lands and coastal waters by 2030; and

WHEREAS, Executive Order No. N-82-20 directs the Natural Resources Agency to coordinate the execution of the 30x30 goal with other state agencies and stakeholders through a series of actions, including the development of a strategy document by February 2022 titled Pathways to 30x30, that sets California on the path to successfully implement our 30x30 conservation goal; and

WHEREAS, California tribal nations have protected and conserved their indigenous and aboriginal lands since time immemorial, utilizing Traditional Ecological Knowledge, also known as Indigenous Knowledge or Native Science, evolved over hundreds of thousands of years through direct contact with the environment, and are continuing the tradition of stewardship by leading efforts to establish or expand national monument land protections in California; and

WHEREAS, The Cahuilla, Chemehuevi, Mojave, Quechan, and Serrano nations are leading the effort to establish the Chuckwalla National Monument to protect approximately 627,000 acres of federal public lands that reach from the Coachella Valley region in the west to the Colorado River in the east; and

WHEREAS, Designating the Chuckwalla National Monument would help ensure equitable access to nature, honor a cultural landscape, and protect the deserts unique biodiversity, wildlife habitat, landscape connectivity, and history; and

WHEREAS, The Cahuilla, Chemehuevi, Mojave, Quechan, and Serrano nations are calling to protect approximately 17,000 acres of public lands that are adjacent to the east side of Joshua Tree National Park, as these lands are a living landscape with interconnected cultural, natural, and spiritual significance, which sustains the well-being and survival of Indigenous peoples today; and

WHEREAS, The Joshua Tree expansion area would connect to the proposed Chuckwalla National Monument and other protected places, which would help ensure land connectivity for indigenous species, and would also preserve places of cultural and historical importance, including the homelands of the Cahuilla, Chemehuevi, Mojave, Quechan, and Serrano nations; and

WHEREAS, The Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe is leading the effort to establish the Kwtsan National Monument, which would protect more than 390,000 acres of the tribes aboriginal homelands located in the County of Imperial, California; and

WHEREAS, The proposed Kwtsan National Monument lands contain incredible cultural, ecological, recreational, scenic, and historic values, including trails, desert life, petroglyphs, geoglyphs, and lithics, and the establishment of a national monument would provide protections for wildlife, cultural places, sacred sites, and scenic features; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate and the Assembly of the State of California, jointly, That the State of California urges the President to use the federal Antiquities Act of 1906 (54 U.S.C. Sec. 320101 et seq.) to establish the Chuckwalla National Monument, to establish a National Park Service-managed Joshua Tree National Monument adjacent to Joshua Tree National Park, and to establish the Kwtsan National Monument; and be it further

Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the President and Vice President of the United States, the United States Secretary of the Interior, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, the Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives, the Majority Leader of the United States Senate, the Minority Leader of the United States Senate, and to each Senator and Representative from California in the Congress of the United States.

WHEREAS, Approximately 60 percent of land in the continental United States is in a natural state, but we are losing a football field worth of it every 30 seconds, and the decline of nature threatens wildlife, as approximately 1,000,000 animal and plant species are at risk of extinction in the coming decades across the globe, including one-third of United States wildlife; and

WHEREAS, The United States Geological Survey reports that only 12 percent of the nations lands and inland waters are permanently protected, and other studies show that roughly 23 percent of the nations coastal waters are currently strongly protected, with the vast majority of ocean protections found in the Pacific Ocean along the western coast of the United States; and

WHEREAS, On January 27, 2021, President Biden signed Executive Order No. 14008, which launched a governmentwide effort to confront climate change, restore balance on the nations public lands and waters, create jobs, and provide a path to align the management of the nations public lands and waters with national climate, conservation, and clean energy goals; and

WHEREAS, Executive Order No. 14008 directs the United States Department of the Interior to outline steps to achieve the Presidents commitment to conserve at least 30 percent each of the nations lands and waters by the year 2030, known as the 30x30 goal, in order to safeguard the nations health, food supplies, biodiversity, and the prosperity of every community and to undertake the process with broad engagement, including agricultural and forest landowners, fishermen, outdoor enthusiasts, sovereign tribal nations, states, territories, local officials, and others, to identify strategies that reflect the priorities of all communities; and

WHEREAS, In October 2020, Governor Newsom outlined a comprehensive and results-oriented agenda to expand nature-based solutions across California through Executive Order No. N-82-20, elevating the role of natural and working lands in the fight against climate change, advancing biodiversity conservation as an administration priority, and committing the state to the goal of conserving 30 percent of state lands and coastal waters by 2030; and

WHEREAS, Executive Order No. N-82-20 directs the Natural Resources Agency to coordinate the execution of the 30x30 goal with other state agencies and stakeholders through a series of actions, including the development of a strategy document by February 2022 titled Pathways to 30x30, that sets California on the path to successfully implement our 30x30 conservation goal; and

WHEREAS, California tribal nations have protected and conserved their indigenous and aboriginal lands since time immemorial, utilizing Traditional Ecological Knowledge, also known as Indigenous Knowledge or Native Science, evolved over hundreds of thousands of years through direct contact with the environment, and are continuing the tradition of stewardship by leading efforts to establish or expand national monument land protections in California; and

WHEREAS, The Cahuilla, Chemehuevi, Mojave, Quechan, and Serrano nations are leading the effort to establish the Chuckwalla National Monument to protect approximately 660,000 627,000 acres of federal public lands that reach from the Coachella Valley region in the west to the Colorado River in the east; and

WHEREAS, Designating the Chuckwalla National Monument would help ensure equitable access to nature, honor a cultural landscape, and protect the deserts unique biodiversity, wildlife habitat, landscape connectivity, and history; and

WHEREAS, The Cahuilla, Chemehuevi, Mojave, Quechan, and Serrano nations are calling to protect approximately 17,000 acres of public lands that are adjacent to the east side of Joshua Tree National Park, as these lands are a living landscape with interconnected cultural, natural, and spiritual significance, which sustains the well-being and survival of Indigenous peoples today; and

WHEREAS, The Joshua Tree expansion area would connect to the proposed Chuckwalla National Monument and other protected places, which would help ensure land connectivity for indigenous species, and would also preserve places of cultural and historical importance, including the homelands of the Cahuilla, Chemehuevi, Mojave, Quechan, and Serrano nations; now, therefore, be it and

WHEREAS, The Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe is leading the effort to establish the Kwtsan National Monument, which would protect more than 390,000 acres of the tribes aboriginal homelands located in the County of Imperial, California; and

WHEREAS, The proposed Kwtsan National Monument lands contain incredible cultural, ecological, recreational, scenic, and historic values, including trails, desert life, petroglyphs, geoglyphs, and lithics, and the establishment of a national monument would provide protections for wildlife, cultural places, sacred sites, and scenic features; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate and the Assembly of the State of California, jointly, That the State of California urges the President to use the federal Antiquities Act of 1906 (54 U.S.C. Sec. 320101 et seq.) to establish the Chuckwalla National Monument and Monument, to establish a National Park Service-managed Joshua Tree National Monument adjacent to Joshua Tree National Park; Park, and to establish the Kwtsan National Monument; and be it further

Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the President and Vice President of the United States, the United States Secretary of the Interior, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, the Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives, the Majority Leader of the United States Senate, the Minority Leader of the United States Senate, and to each Senator and Representative from California in the Congress of the United States.

WHEREAS, Approximately 60 percent of land in the continental United States is in a natural state, but we are losing a football field worth of it every 30 seconds, and the decline of nature threatens wildlife, as approximately 1,000,000 animal and plant species are at risk of extinction in the coming decades across the globe, including one-third of United States wildlife; and

WHEREAS, The United States Geological Survey reports that only 12 percent of the nations lands and inland waters are permanently protected, and other studies show that roughly 23 percent of the nations coastal waters are currently strongly protected, with the vast majority of ocean protections found in the Pacific Ocean along the western coast of the United States; and

WHEREAS, On January 27, 2021, President Biden signed Executive Order No. 14008, which launched a governmentwide effort to confront climate change, restore balance on the nations public lands and waters, create jobs, and provide a path to align the management of the nations public lands and waters with national climate, conservation, and clean energy goals; and

WHEREAS, Executive Order No. 14008 directs the United States Department of the Interior to outline steps to achieve the Presidents commitment to conserve at least 30 percent each of the nations lands and waters by the year 2030, known as the 30x30 goal, in order to safeguard the nations health, food supplies, biodiversity, and the prosperity of every community and to undertake the process with broad engagement, including agricultural and forest landowners, fishermen, outdoor enthusiasts, sovereign tribal nations, states, territories, local officials, and others, to identify strategies that reflect the priorities of all communities; and

WHEREAS, In October 2020, Governor Newsom outlined a comprehensive and results-oriented agenda to expand nature-based solutions across California through Executive Order No. N-82-20, elevating the role of natural and working lands in the fight against climate change, advancing biodiversity conservation as an administration priority, and committing the state to the goal of conserving 30 percent of state lands and coastal waters by 2030; and

WHEREAS, Executive Order No. N-82-20 directs the Natural Resources Agency to coordinate the execution of the 30x30 goal with other state agencies and stakeholders through a series of actions, including the development of a strategy document by February 2022 titled Pathways to 30x30, that sets California on the path to successfully implement our 30x30 conservation goal; and

WHEREAS, California tribal nations have protected and conserved their indigenous and aboriginal lands since time immemorial, utilizing Traditional Ecological Knowledge, also known as Indigenous Knowledge or Native Science, evolved over hundreds of thousands of years through direct contact with the environment, and are continuing the tradition of stewardship by leading efforts to establish or expand national monument land protections in California; and

WHEREAS, The Cahuilla, Chemehuevi, Mojave, Quechan, and Serrano nations are leading the effort to establish the Chuckwalla National Monument to protect approximately 660,000 acres of federal public lands that reach from the Coachella Valley region in the west to the Colorado River in the east; and

WHEREAS, Designating the Chuckwalla National Monument would help ensure equitable access to nature, honor a cultural landscape, and protect the deserts unique biodiversity, wildlife habitat, landscape connectivity, and history; and

WHEREAS, The Cahuilla, Chemehuevi, Mojave, Quechan, and Serrano nations are calling to protect approximately 17,000 acres of public lands that are adjacent to the east side of Joshua Tree National Park, as these lands are a living landscape with interconnected cultural, natural, and spiritual significance, which sustains the well-being and survival of Indigenous peoples today; and

WHEREAS, The Joshua Tree expansion area would connect to the proposed Chuckwalla National Monument and other protected places, which would help ensure land connectivity for indigenous species, and would also preserve places of cultural and historical importance, including the homelands of the Cahuilla, Chemehuevi, Mojave, Quechan, and Serrano nations; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate and the Assembly of the State of California, jointly, That the State of California urges the President to use the federal Antiquities Act of 1906 (54 U.S.C. Sec. 320101 et seq.) to establish the Chuckwalla National Monument and to establish a National Park Service-managed Joshua Tree National Monument adjacent to Joshua Tree National Park; and be it further

Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the President and Vice President of the United States, the United States Secretary of the Interior, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, the Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives, the Majority Leader of the United States Senate, the Minority Leader of the United States Senate, and to each Senator and Representative from California in the Congress of the United States.

 UNFINISHED BUSINESS  

Bill No: SJR 16

Author: Padilla (D), et al.

Amended: 8/12/24

Vote: 21

SENATE NATURAL RES. & WATER COMMITTEE: 9-0, 6/11/24

AYES: Min, Seyarto, Allen, Eggman, Hurtado, Laird, Limón, Padilla, Stern

NO VOTE RECORDED: Dahle, Grove

SENATE FLOOR: 34-0, 6/20/24

AYES: Archuleta, Ashby, Atkins, Becker, Blakespear, Bradford, Caballero, Cortese, Dodd, Eggman, Glazer, Gonzalez, Hurtado, Laird, Limón, McGuire, Menjivar, Min, Newman, Nguyen, Niello, Ochoa Bogh, Padilla, Portantino, Roth, Rubio, Seyarto, Skinner, Smallwood-Cuevas, Stern, Umberg, Wahab, Wiener, Wilk

NO VOTE RECORDED: Allen, Alvarado-Gil, Dahle, Durazo, Grove, Jones

ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 74-0, 8/26/24 - See last page for vote

SUBJECT: The Chuckwalla, Joshua Tree, and Kw’tsán National Monuments.

SOURCE: Author

DIGEST:

This resolution urges the U.S. President to use the Antiquities Act of 1906 to establish the Chuckwalla National Monument, the Kw’tsán National Monument, and a National Park Service-managed Joshua Tree National Monument adjacent to Joshua Tree National Park.

Assembly Amendments

added the Kw’tsán National Monument to the resolution.

ANALYSIS:

Existing federal law:

1. Declares that it is a national policy to preserve for public use historic sites, buildings, and objects of national significance for the inspiration and benefit of the people of the United States. (54 USC §320101.)
2. Authorizes the President to declare by public proclamation historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, and other objects of historic or scientific interest that are situated on land owned or controlled by the Federal Government to be national monuments. (54 USC §320301.)

Existing state law:

1. Establishes a goal of the state to conserve at least 30% of California’s lands and coastal waters by 2030. (Public Resources Code (PRC) §71450.)
2. Directs the California Natural Resources Agency, in implementing the 10 pathways and specific near-term priority actions described in the Pathways to 30x30 Report to achieve the 30x30 goal, to prioritize certain actions, including supporting tribal engagement and leadership in implementing the 30x30 goal. (PRC §71451.)

This resolution urges the U.S. President to use the Antiquities Act of 1906 to establish the Chuckwalla National Monument, the Kw’tsán National Monument, and an NPS-managed Joshua Tree National Monument adjacent to Joshua Tree National Park.

Background

Federal Antiquities Act. This act, which passed in 1906, seeks to preserve America’s archeological places and historical sites, including the information they contain, on federal lands. Among other things, this act authorizes the President to establish national monuments. Specifically, the act gives the President the authority to “declare by public proclamation historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, and other objects of historic or scientific interest that are situated on land owned or controlled by the Federal Government to be national monuments” (Title 54 U.S. Codes (54 USC) §320301(a)). National monuments may be administered by the National Park Service (NPS), the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), or the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Since 1906, U.S. presidents have used their authority under the Antiquities Act to set aside land almost 300 times.

In California, there are at least 17 national monuments, including Berryessa Snow Mountain, Cabrillo, California Coastal, Carrizo Plain, Castle Mountains, César E. Chávez, Devils Postpile, Fort Ord, Giant Sequoia, Lava Beds, Mojave Trails, Muir Woods, Saint Francis Dam Disaster, Sand to Snow, San Gabriel Mountains, Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains, and Tule Lake.

Comments

Chuckwalla National Monument proposal. The proposed Chuckwalla National Monument includes over 620,000 acres of public lands. These lands are managed primarily by BLM. It is located south of Joshua Tree National Park, north of the Chocolate Mountains, and reaches from the Coachella Valley region in the west to near the Colorado River in the East. The area provides opportunities for outdoor recreation (e.g., hiking, rock climbing, picnicking, stargazing, and some off-highway vehicle recreation) and hosts a unique, biodiverse ecosystem, provides habitat for numerous species (e.g., Chuckwalla lizard, endangered desert tortoise, Sonoran pronghorn, native plans, and migratory birds). Currently, there are "islands" of protected public lands in this region, including Joshua Tree National Park and wilderness areas. The proposed national monument and Joshua Tree National Park expansion would connect these "islands" and safeguard core habitat areas and linkages. This is critical for the survival of native species in the face of climate change-related habitat loss, warming temperatures, and increased drought.

The lands within the proposed national monument include the homelands of the Iviatim, Nüwü, Pipa Aha Macav, Kwatsáan, and Maara'yam peoples, also known as the Cahuilla, Chemehuevi, Mojave (Colorado Indian Tribes), Quechan, and Serrano nations. Designating the Chuckwalla National Monument would help to protect important spiritual and cultural values tied to the land such as multi-use trail systems established by indigenous peoples, sacred sites and objects, traditional cultural places, geoglyphs, petroglyphs, and pictographs.

Kw’tsán National Monument proposal. The Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe (pronounced Kwatsáan) and supporters are calling for the permanent protection of the Kw’tsán cultural landscape as a national monument. This proposal to protect the tribe’s homelands encompasses more than 390,000 acres of lands managed by the BLM in Imperial County along the border with Mexico and Arizona.

The proposed Kw'ts'án National Monument contains cultural, ecological, recreational, scenic, and historic values. The area is part of a greater cultural landscape, connecting together Avikwalal, Palo Verde Peak, the proposed Chuckwalla National Monument, and Spirit Mountain in Avi Kwa Ame National Monument. The boundary exhibits a portion of the Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe’s ancestral homelands and incorporates the Indian Pass Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC), Pilot Knob (Avikwalal) ACEC, Singer Geoglyphs ACEC, Buzzards Peak, and Picacho Peak Wilderness areas.

The Colorado River runs along the eastern side of the proposed monument, and the water brings several species to the region including roadrunners, Woodhouse toads, desert tortoises, sidewinders, Yuma kingsnakes, black-tailed jackrabbits, kit foxes, roundtail ground squirrels, badgers, and chuckwallas. Plants in the area include the desert agave, saguaro, creosote, mesquite, desert milkweed, algodones dunes sunflower, arroweed, sand food, desert devil's claw, chocolate mountains coldenia, foxtail cactus, munz's and wiggins cholla, and the yellow palo verde.

Joshua Tree National Park addition. In 2016, the NPS completed an assessment of the effects of adding approximately 20,000 acres of lands in the Eagle Mountain area to Joshua Tree National Park. Located in Riverside County near the town of Desert Center, the area considered in the assessment is bounded to the south, west, and north by Joshua Tree National Park. The eastern border is defined by the Colorado River Aqueduct. Most of the area is federally owned and managed by the BLM. However, the area also contains lands in state, private, and Metropolitan Water District of Southern California ownership. In particular, there are 2,000 acres of privately owned lands, and 335.7 acres of state school lands^[1] managed by the State Lands Commission (SLC).

The Department of the Interior has already initiated the process to transfer lands from the BLM to the NPS. The non-federally owned lands could become a part of the park if the property owners chose to sell, exchange, or donate the lands to the NPS. Eagle Crest Energy Company, which holds property interests in the area, has indicated that it would consider donating lands not needed for a pumped storage hydroelectric project to the NPS in the future. Regarding the school lands, SLC has indicated it would consider a land exchange when and if the surrounding private lands and mineral interests are transferred to the NPS for management. For lands that remain in private ownership, the NPS would seek to work with private landowners on mitigation strategies to avoid or minimize the impacts of any adjacent industrial uses. It is worth noting that if the park boundary were adjusted, all valid existing rights would be preserved.

The 2016 assessment found that the addition under consideration could allow for greater protection of existing habitat, restoration opportunities, landscape connectivity, and new access opportunities. Recent studies have documented the particular importance of the Eagle Mountain area for bighorn sheep and desert tortoise populations. The area also contains prehistoric and historic resources that expand on the national park’s cultural themes, and contains areas important for maintaining the park wilderness values.

Joshua Tree National Park or National Monument? This resolution urges the President to use the federal Antiquities Act to establish a National Park Service-managed Joshua Tree National Monument adjacent to shua Tree National Park. It is worth noting that federal efforts conceive of the land under consideration as an addition to Joshua Tree National Park, rather than as the creation of a new monument next to the park. The author is aware of this distinction, but has specifically requested the language in this resolution because the President can move faster to establish a new monument via proclamation than Congress can move to expand the park via legislation. The idea is that the President could act to quickly protect the area and then, later in the future, Congress could complete the process by officially incorporating the land into the park.

Connection to 30x30 initiative. According to CNRA, these three National Monuments are estimated to add a little over one million acres to the State's 30x30 goal. The proposed Chuckwalla National Monument would add an estimated 400,000 acres, the Joshua Tree expansion would add an estimated 17,000 acres, and the proposed Kw'tsán National Monument would add an estimated 390,000 acres of new lands to 30x30. These numbers may change upon final designation.

FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: No Local: No

SUPPORT: (Verified 8/26/24)

Anza-Borrego Foundation
Audubon California
Bolsa Chica Land Trust
Cahuilla Band of Indians

California Coastal Protection Network
California Environmental Voters
California Institute for Biodiversity
California Native Plant Society
California Wilderness Coalition
Central Valley Partnership
City of Palm Desert

Consejo de Federaciones Mexicanas

Defenders of Wildlife
Endangered Habitats League
Environment California
Environmental Center of San Diego
Environmental Protection Information Center
Forests Forever
Friends of Harbors, Beaches and Parks
Friends of The Desert Mountains

ForEverGreen Forestry

Great Old Broads for Wilderness, Crest to Coast Broadband

Herpetological Conservation International
Mojave Desert Land Trust
Morongo Basin Conservation Association
Mount Shasta Bioregional Ecology Center
Nature for All
Outdoor Outreach
Pacific Forest Trust
Planning and Conservation League
Resource Renewal Institute
Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society
Santa Cruz Climate Action Network

Sierra Business Council

Sierra Club California

OPPOSITION: (Verified 8/26/24)

None received

ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT: According to the author, "As climate change continues to disrupt and forever alter our most fragile ecosystems, it is imperative that we take action to preserve sites of cultural importance. The creation of the Chuckwalla and Kw'tsán National Monuments will help us to better protect lands of ecological and historical significance California and to the sovereign nations of the region."

ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 74-0, 8/26/24

AYES: Addis, Aguiar-Curry, Alanis, Alvarez, Arambula, Bains, Bauer-Kahan, Bennett, Berman, Boerner, Bonta, Bryan, Calderon, Juan Carrillo, Wendy Carrillo, Chen, Connolly, Megan Dahle, Davies, Dixon, Flora, Mike Fong, Friedman, Gabriel, Gallagher, Garcia, Gipson, Grayson, Haney, Hart, Holden, Hoover, Irwin, Jackson, Jones-Sawyer, Kalra, Lackey, Lee, Low, Lowenthal, Maienschein, Mathis, McCarty, McKinnor, Muratsuchi, Stephanie Nguyen, Pacheco, Papan, Jim Patterson, Pellerin, Petrie-Norris, Quirk-Silva, Ramos, Rendon, Reyes, Luz Rivas, Rodriguez, Blanca Rubio, Santiago, Schiavo, Soria, Ta, Ting, Valencia, Villapudua, Waldron, Wallis, Ward, Weber, Wicks, Wilson, Wood, Zbur, Robert Rivas

NO VOTE RECORDED: Cervantes, Essayli, Ortega, Joe Patterson, Sanchez

Prepared by: Catherine Baxter / N.R. & W. / (916) 651-4116

8/27/24 12:12:29

**** END ****

1. After California achieved statehood, the federal government granted approximately 5.5 million acres of land to California to support of schools. Proceeds from the sale of these lands helped to pay for school construction. SLC retains jurisdiction over around 450,000 acres of remaining school lands and manages them to generate revenue for CalSTRS. ↑

SENATE THIRD READING

STR Bill Id:SJR 16

Author:(Padilla)

As Amended Ver:August 12, 2024

Majority vote

SUMMARY

Urges the President to use the Antiquities Act of 1906 to establish the Chuckwalla National Monument, Joshua Tree National Monument, and Kw'tsán National Monument and makes findings regarding the history and value of the land that would be included in the Chuckwalla and Kw'tsán National Monuments and Joshua Tree National Park expansion.

Major Provisions

COMMENTS

The Federal Antiquities Act, passed in 1906, seeks to preserve America's archeological places and historical sites, including the information they contain, on federal lands. Among other things, this act authorizes the President to establish national monuments. Specifically, the act gives the President the authority to "declare by public proclamation historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, and other objects of historic or scientific interest that are situated on land owned or controlled by the Federal Government to be national monuments" [54 USC Section 320301(a)]. National monuments may be administered by the National Park Service (NPS), the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, or the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Since 1906, U.S. presidents have used their authority under the Antiquities Act to set aside land almost 300 times.

In California, there are at least 17 national monuments, including Berryessa Snow Mountain, Cabrillo, California Coastal, Carrizo Plain, Castle Mountains, César E. Chávez, Devils Postpile, Fort Ord, Giant Sequoia, Lava Beds, Mojave Trails, Muir Woods, Saint Francis Dam Disaster, Sand to Snow, San Gabriel Mountains, Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains, and Tule Lake.

Chuckwalla National Monument proposal. The proposed Chuckwalla National Monument includes over 620,000 acres of public lands. These lands are managed primarily by BLM. It is located south of Joshua Tree National Park, north of the Chocolate Mountains, and reaches from the Coachella Valley region in the west to near the Colorado River in the East. The area provides opportunities for outdoor recreation (e.g., hiking, rock climbing, picnicking, stargazing, and some off-highway vehicle recreation) and hosts a unique, biodiverse ecosystem, provides habitat for numerous species (e.g., Chuckwalla lizard, endangered desert tortoise, Sonoran pronghorn, native plans, and migratory birds). Currently, there are "islands" of protected public lands in this region, including Joshua Tree National Park and wilderness areas. The proposed national monument and Joshua Tree National Park expansion would connect these "islands" and safeguard core habitat areas and linkages. This is critical for the survival of native species in the face of climate change-related habitat loss, warming temperatures, and increased drought.

The lands within the proposed national monument include the homelands of the Iviatim, Nüwü, Pipa Aha Macav, Kwatsáan, and Maara'yam peoples, also known as the Cahuilla, Chemehuevi, Mojave (Colorado Indian Tribes), Quechan, and Serrano nations. Designating the Chuckwalla National Monument would help to protect important spiritual and cultural values tied to the land such as multi-use trail systems established by indigenous peoples, sacred sites and objects, traditional cultural places, geoglyphs, petroglyphs, and pictographs.

Joshua Tree National Park addition. Joshua Tree National Park lies at the convergence of two deserts: the Colorado Desert, which encompasses the eastern part of the park and features natural gardens of creosote bush, ocotillo, and cholla cactus, and the Mojave Desert in the western part of the park, which hosts the special habitat of the Joshua tree. The park provides habitat for 813 plant species, 46 reptile species, 57 mammal species, and over 250 bird species. The park includes five fan palm oases, which are the few areas where surface water occurs naturally.

Joshua Tree National Park protects numerous archeological sites associated with the Pinto Culture, one of the earliest prehistoric cultures found in the California desert (7,000–10,000 years old). The park preserves sites and materials associated with at least four overlapping ethnographic native cultures—the Cahuilla, Serrano, Chemehuevi, and Mojave Indians. Other historic sites preserve information on the history of the processing of gold ore, cattle ranching, rustling, and homesteading of the southwestern deserts.

Kw'tsán National Monument proposal. This proposal to protect the Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe's homelands encompasses more than 390,000 acres of lands managed primarily by the BLM in Imperial County along the border with Mexico and Arizona. The exact boundaries of this proposed National Monument are still being finalized. This region includes species such as roadrunners, desert tortoises, Yuma kingsnakes, black-tailed jackrabbits, kit foxes, chuckwallas and a diversity of desert plants such as saguaro, creosote, mesquite, desert milkweed, algodones dunes sunflower, and arroweed.

The proposed Kw'tsán National Monument contains cultural, ecological, recreational, scenic, and historic values. The area is part of a greater cultural landscape, connecting together Avikwalal, Palo Verde Peak, the proposed Chuckwalla National Monument, and Spirit Mountain in Avi Kwa Ame National Monument. The boundary exhibits a portion of the Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe's ancestral homelands and incorporates the Indian Pass Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC), Pilot Knob (Avikwalal) ACEC, Singer Geoglyphs ACEC, Buzzards Peak, and Picacho Peak Wilderness areas.

Connection to 30x30 initiative. According to CNRA, these three National Monuments are estimated to add a little over one million acres to the State's 30x30 goal. The proposed Chuckwalla National Monument would add an estimated 400,000 acres, the Joshua Tree expansion would add an estimated 17,000 acres, and the proposed Kw'tsán National Monument would add an estimated 390,000 acres of new lands to 30x30. These numbers may change upon final designation.

According to the Author

According to the author, "As climate change continues to disrupt and forever alter our most fragile ecosystems, it is imperative that we take action to preserve sites of cultural importance. The creation of the Chuckwalla and Kw'tsán National Monuments will help us to better protect lands of ecological and historical significance California and to the sovereign nations of the region."

Arguments in Support

The Cahuilla Band of Indians writes that the lands in the proposed Chuckwalla National Monument and Joshua Tree expansion "are living landscapes which are culturally, naturally, historically and spiritually significant to the Cahuilla, Chemehuevi, Mojave, Quechan, and Serrano nations and which sustain the well-being and survival of Indigenous peoples today […and will…] protect the desert land's unique biodiversity, wildlife habitat, landscape connectivity, and history."

Arguments in Opposition

None on file

FISCAL COMMENTS

None. This bill is keyed non-fiscal.

VOTES

SENATE FLOOR: 34-0-6

YES: Archuleta, Ashby, Atkins, Becker, Blakespear, Bradford, Caballero, Cortese, Dodd, Eggman, Glazer, Gonzalez, Hurtado, Laird, Limón, McGuire, Menjivar, Min, Newman, Nguyen, Niello, Ochoa Bogh, Padilla, Portantino, Roth, Rubio, Seyarto, Skinner, Smallwood-Cuevas, Stern, Umberg, Wahab, Wiener, Wilk

ABS, ABST OR NV: Allen, Alvarado-Gil, Dahle, Durazo, Grove, Jones

ASM WATER, PARKS, AND WILDLIFE: 10-0-5

YES: Papan, Mathis, Addis, Alanis, Bennett, Bonta, Gallagher, Davies, Hart, Weber

ABS, ABST OR NV: Alvarez, Garcia, Luz Rivas, Schiavo, Villapudua

UPDATED

VERSION: August 12, 2024

CONSULTANT: Stephanie Mitchell / W., P., & W. / (916) 319-2096 FN: 0003948

Date of Hearing: August 15, 2024

ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON WATER, PARKS, AND WILDLIFE

Diane Papan, Chair

SBPCA Bill Id:SJR 16

Author:(Padilla) – As Amended Ver:August 12, 2024

SENATE VOTE: 34-0

SUBJECT: The Chuckwalla, Joshua Tree, and Kw’tsán National Monuments

SUMMARY: Urges the President to use the Antiquities Act of 1906 to establish the Chuckwalla National Monument, Joshua Tree National Monument, and Kw’tsán National Monument and makes findings regarding the history and value of the land that would be included in the Chuckwalla and Kw’tsán National Monuments and Joshua Tree National Park expansion.

EXISTING LAW:

1. Declares that it is a national policy to preserve for public use historic sites, buildings, and objects of national significance for the inspiration and benefit of the people of the United States [54 United States Code (USC) § 320101].
2. Authorizes the President to declare by public proclamation historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, and other objects of historic or scientific interest that are situated on land owned or controlled by the Federal Government to be national monuments (54 USC § 320301).
3. Directs the California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA) to combat the biodiversity and climate crisis by, among other things, establishing the California Biodiversity Collaborative and establishing the goal of conserving at least 30% of the state’s lands and coastal waters by 2030 (30x30) (Public Resources Code § 71450).

FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown. This resolution is keyed non-fiscal.

COMMENTS:

1. Purpose of this bill. According to the author, “As climate change continues to disrupt and forever alter our most fragile ecosystems, it is imperative that we take action to preserve sites of cultural importance. The creation of the Chuckwalla and Kw’tsán National Monuments will help us to better protect lands of ecological and historical significance California and to the sovereign nations of the region.”
2. Background. The Federal Antiquities Act, passed in 1906, seeks to preserve America’s archeological places and historical sites, including the information they contain, on federal lands. Among other things, this act authorizes the President to establish national monuments. Specifically, the act gives the President the authority to “declare by public proclamation historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, and other objects of historic or scientific interest that are situated on land owned or controlled by the Federal Government to be national monuments” [54 USC § 320301(a)]. National monuments may be administered by the National Park Service (NPS), the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, or the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Since 1906, U.S. presidents have used their authority under the Antiquities Act to set aside land almost 300 times.

In California, there are at least 17 national monuments, including Berryessa Snow Mountain, Cabrillo, California Coastal, Carrizo Plain, Castle Mountains, César E. Chávez, Devils Postpile, Fort Ord, Giant Sequoia, Lava Beds, Mojave Trails, Muir Woods, Saint Francis Dam Disaster, Sand to Snow, San Gabriel Mountains, Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains, and Tule Lake.

Chuckwalla National Monument proposal. The proposed Chuckwalla National Monument includes over 620,000 acres of public lands (see map). These lands are managed primarily by BLM. It is located south of Joshua Tree National Park, north of the Chocolate Mountains, and reaches from the Coachella Valley region in the west to near the Colorado River in the East. The area provides opportunities for outdoor recreation (e.g., hiking, rock climbing, picnicking, stargazing, and some off-highway vehicle recreation) and hosts a unique, biodiverse ecosystem, provides habitat for numerous species (e.g., Chuckwalla lizard, endangered desert tortoise, Sonoran pronghorn, native plans, and migratory birds). Currently, there are “islands” of protected public lands in this region, including Joshua Tree National Park and wilderness areas. The proposed national monument and Joshua Tree National Park expansion would connect these “islands” and safeguard core habitat areas and linkages. This is critical for the survival of native species in the face of climate change-related habitat loss, warming temperatures, and increased drought.

The lands within the proposed national monument include the homelands of the Iviatim, Nüwü, Pipa Aha Macav, Kwatsáan, and Maara’yam peoples, also known as the Cahuilla, Chemehuevi, Mojave (Colorado Indian Tribes), Quechan, and Serrano nations. Designating the Chuckwalla National Monument would help to protect important spiritual and cultural values tied to the land such as multi-use trail systems established by indigenous peoples, sacred sites and objects, traditional cultural places, geoglyphs, petroglyphs, and pictographs.

Joshua Tree National Park addition. Joshua Tree National Park lies at the convergence of two deserts: the Colorado Desert, which encompasses the eastern part of the park and features natural gardens of creosote bush, ocotillo, and cholla cactus, and the Mojave Desert in the western part of the park, which hosts the special habitat of the Joshua tree. The park provides habitat for 813 plant species, 46 reptile species, 57 mammal species, and over 250 bird species. The park includes five fan palm oases, which are the few areas where surface water occurs naturally.

Joshua Tree National Park protects numerous archeological sites associated with the Pinto Culture, one of the earliest prehistoric cultures found in the California desert (7,000–10,000 years old). The park preserves sites and materials associated with at least four overlapping ethnographic native cultures—the Cahuilla, Serrano, Chemehuevi, and Mojave Indians. Other historic sites preserve information on the history of the processing of gold ore, cattle ranching, rustling, and homesteading of the southwestern deserts.

In 2016, the NPS completed an assessment of the effects of adding approximately 20,000 acres of lands in the Eagle Mountain area to Joshua Tree National Park. Most of the area is federally owned and managed by the BLM, however, the area also contains lands in state, private, and local agency ownership. It is worth noting that H.R.8031 and S.4132 appear to only target the public lands for inclusion in the monuments. The non-federally owned lands could become a part of the park if the property owners chose to sell, exchange, or donate the lands to the NPS.

Kw’tsán National Monument proposal. This proposal to protect the Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe’s homelands encompasses more than 390,000 acres of lands managed primarily by the BLM in Imperial County along the border with Mexico and Arizona (see map). The exact boundaries of this proposed National Monument are still being finalized. This region includes species such as roadrunners, desert tortoises, Yuma kingsnakes, black-tailed jackrabbits, kit foxes, chuckwallas and a diversity of desert plants such as saguaro, creosote, mesquite, desert milkweed, algodones dunes sunflower, and arroweed.

The proposed Kw’tsán National Monument contains cultural, ecological, recreational, scenic, and historic values. The area is part of a greater cultural landscape, connecting together Avikwalal, Palo Verde Peak, the proposed Chuckwalla National Monument, and Spirit Mountain in Avi Kwa Ame National Monument. The boundary exhibits a portion of the Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe’s ancestral homelands and incorporates the Indian Pass Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC), Pilot Knob (Avikwalal) ACEC, Singer Geoglyphs ACEC, Buzzards Peak, and Picacho Peak Wilderness areas.

Connection to 30x30 initiative. In October 2020, Governor Newsom issued Executive Order N-82-20, which establishes a state goal of conserving 30% of California’s lands and coastal waters by 2030 – known as 30x30. The 30x30 goal is intended to help conserve state lands and coastal waters through voluntary, collaborative action with partners across the state to meet three objectives: conserve and restore biodiversity, expand access to nature, and mitigate and build resilience to climate change. The 30x30 goal was codified by SB 337 (Min), Chapter 392, Statutes of 2023.

As of May 2023, the state has conserved 24.4% of lands and 16.2% of coastal waters for 30x30. California’s strategy to conserve an additional six million acres of land and half a million acres of coastal waters is organized into ten pathways that are specific state actions that will help achieve 30x30.

According to CNRA, these three National Monuments are estimated to add a little over one million acres to the State’s 30x30 goal. The proposed Chuckwalla National Monument would add an estimated 400,000 acres, the Joshua Tree expansion would add an estimated 17,000 acres, and the proposed Kw’tsán National Monument would add an estimated 390,000 acres of new lands to 30x30. These numbers may change upon final designation.

1. Arguments in support. The Cahuilla Band of Indians writes that the lands in the proposed Chuckwalla National Monument and Joshua Tree expansion “are living landscapes which are culturally, naturally, historically and spiritually significant to the Cahuilla, Chemehuevi, Mojave, Quechan, and Serrano nations and which sustain the well-being and survival of Indigenous peoples today […and will…] protect the desert land’s unique biodiversity, wildlife habitat, landscape connectivity, and history.”
2. Related legislation. H.R.8031 (Ruiz, 2023–2024) and S.4132 (Padilla, 2023–2024) both, would establish the Chuckwalla National Monument, consisting of approximately 621,000 acres of federal land administered by the BLM. Further, the bill would amend the California Desert Protection Act of 1994 to add approximately 17,842 acres of land to Joshua Tree National Park. H.R.8031 is pending in the House Committee on Natural Resources. S.4132 is pending in the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

SJR 10 (Dodd) of the current legislative session urges the President and Congress to expand the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument to include the Walker Ridge (Molok Luyuk) Addition. SJR 10 was held in this Committee by the request of the author in response to the Presidents proclamation on May 2, 2024 expanding the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument.

SJR 17 (Allen) of the current legislative session urges the President to use the Antiquities Act of 1906 to establish the Sáttítla National Monument. SJR 17 is set for hearing in this Committee.

AB 1183 (Ramos), Chapter 380, Statutes of 2021, establishes the California Desert Conservation Program at the Wildlife Conservation Board.

AJR 4 (Dodd), Res. Chapter 19, Statutes of 2015, urges the President to use his authority under the Antiquities Act to establish a federal monument in the region known as Berryessa Snow Mountain.

REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:

Support

Anza-Borrego Foundation
Audobon California
Bolsa Chica Land Trust
Cahuilla Band of Indians
California Coastal Protection Network
California Environmental Voters
California Institute for Biodiversity
California Native Plant Society
CalWild
Central Valley Partnership
City of Palm Desert
Defenders of Wildlife
Endangered Habitats League
Environment California
Environmental Center of San Diego
Environmental Protection Information Center
Forests Forever
Friends of Harbors, Beaches and Parks
Friends of The Desert Mountains
Mojave Desert Land Trust
Morongo Basin Conservation Association
Mount Shasta Bioregional Ecology Center
Nature for All
Outdoor Outreach
Pacific Forest Trust
Planning and Conservation League
Resource Renewal Institute
Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society
Santa Cruz Climate Action Network
Sierra Business Council
Sierra Club California

Opposition

None on file

Analysis Prepared by: Stephanie Mitchell / W., P., & W. / (916) 319-2096

 THIRD READING  

Bill No: SJR 16

Author: Padilla (D), et al.

Introduced: 5/16/24

Vote: 21

SENATE NATURAL RES. & WATER COMMITTEE: 9-0, 6/11/24

AYES: Min, Seyarto, Allen, Eggman, Hurtado, Laird, Limón, Padilla, Stern

NO VOTE RECORDED: Dahle, Grove

SUBJECT: Chuckwalla National Monument and the Joshua Tree National Monument

SOURCE: Author

DIGEST:

This resolution urges the U.S. President to use the Antiquities Act of 1906 to establish the Chuckwalla National Monument and a National Park Service-managed Joshua Tree National Monument adjacent to Joshua Tree National Park.

ANALYSIS:

Existing federal law:

1. Declares that it is a national policy to preserve for public use historic sites, buildings, and objects of national significance for the inspiration and benefit of the people of the United States. (54 USC §320101.)
2. Authorizes the President to declare by public proclamation historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, and other objects of historic or scientific interest that are situated on land owned or controlled by the Federal Government to be national monuments. (54 USC §320301.)

Existing state law:

1. Establishes a goal of the state to conserve at least 30% of California’s lands and coastal waters by 2030. (Public Resources Code (PRC) §71450.)
2. Directs the California Natural Resources Agency, in implementing the 10 pathways and specific near-term priority actions described in the Pathways to 30x30 Report to achieve the 30x30 goal, to prioritize certain actions, including supporting tribal engagement and leadership in implementing the 30x30 goal. (PRC §71451.)

This resolution urges the U.S. President to use the Antiquities Act of 1906 to establish the Chuckwalla National Monument and an NPS-managed Joshua Tree National Monument adjacent to Joshua Tree National Park.

Background

Federal Antiquities Act. This act, which passed in 1906, seeks to preserve America’s archeological places and historical sites, including the information they contain, on federal lands. Among other things, this act authorizes the President to establish national monuments. Specifically, the act gives the President the authority to “declare by public proclamation historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, and other objects of historic or scientific interest that are situated on land owned or controlled by the Federal Government to be national monuments” (Title 54 U.S. Codes (54 USC) §320301(a)). National monuments may be administered by the National Park Service (NPS), the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), or the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Since 1906, U.S. presidents have used their authority under the Antiquities Act to set aside land almost 300 times.

In California, there are at least 17 national monuments, including Berryessa Snow Mountain, Cabrillo, California Coastal, Carrizo Plain, Castle Mountains, César E. Chávez, Devils Postpile, Fort Ord, Giant Sequoia, Lava Beds, Mojave Trails, Muir Woods, Saint Francis Dam Disaster, Sand to Snow, San Gabriel Mountains, Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains, and Tule Lake.

Comments

This Senate Joint Resolution urges the U.S. President to use the Antiquities Act of 1906 to establish the Chuckwalla National Monument and a National Park Service-managed Joshua Tree National Monument adjacent to Joshua Tree National Park. Map I on page 8 of the policy committee analysis provides a general depiction of these two proposals.

This resolution is consistent with various conservation efforts in this area, including by the federal government and other stakeholders. Most recently, on April 16, 2024, U.S. Senators Padilla and Butler and Representative Ruiz announced bicameral legislation to establish a new Chuckwalla National Monument to protect approximately 621,000 acres of public lands and expand Joshua Tree National Park by adding approximately 17,842 acres of previously designated public lands (see S. 4132 and H.R. 8031, discussed further below). On the same day, a Congressional delegation that included the authors of these bills and Democratic Congressional members from California requested that the President use the authority provided under the Antiquities Act to protect these lands.

Chuckwalla National Monument proposal. The proposed Chuckwalla National Monument includes over 620,000 acres of public lands. It is located south of Joshua Tree National Park, north of the Chocolate Mountains, and reaches from the Coachella Valley region in the west to near the Colorado River in the East. Supporters note that preserving this vast desert landscape would help ensure more equitable access to nature and recreation, protect biodiversity, and preserve significant cultural values, particularly for the local tribal communities. The area provides opportunities for outdoor recreation, like hiking, rock climbing, picnicking, stargazing, and some off-highway vehicle recreation. This area also hosts a unique, biodiverse ecosystem, provides habitat for species, like the Chuckwalla lizard, endangered desert tortoise, Sonoran pronghorn, native plans, and migratory birds. The area also contains critical migration corridors for desert bighorn sheep.

The Chuckwalla National Monument would be the largest protected area of the Colorado Desert bioregion, which is a unique climate and biological community in the California desert. Currently, there are “islands” of protected public lands in this region, including Joshua Tree National Park and wilderness areas. The proposed national monument and Joshua Tree National Park expansion would connect these “islands” and safeguard core habitat areas and linkages. This is critical for the survival of native species in the face of climate change-related habitat loss, warming temperatures, and increased drought.

The lands within the proposed national monument include the homelands of the Iviatim, Nüwü, Pipa Aha Macav, Kwatsáan, and Maara’yam peoples, also known as the Cahuilla, Chemehuevi, Mojave (Colorado Indian Tribes), Quechan, and Serrano nations. Designating the Chuckwalla National Monument would help to protect important spiritual and cultural values tied to the land such as multi-use trail systems established by Indigenous peoples, sacred sites and objects, traditional cultural places, geoglyphs, petroglyphs, and pictographs.

According to supporters, the proposed monument’s boundaries were specifically drawn to avoid areas identified in the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan (DRECP) as suitable for renewable energy development. The DRECP also identified many of the lands in the proposed monument as important to conserve for their biological values. Permanently protecting these lands will help to fulfill the DRECP’s goal of balanced development and conservation. Further, protecting these lands would help to provide a buffer for present-day military installations from development that could interfere with military operations.

It is worth noting that national monument designation would not change any existing valid rights and agreements. Instead, it provides additional opportunities for federal agencies to collaborate with tribes, states, local governments, the private sector, and non-profit partners to achieve shared goals for the management of monument lands.

Joshua Tree National Park. Joshua Tree National Park lies along the east-west transverse ranges of the Little San Bernardino Mountains in San Bernardino and Riverside counties, approximately 100 miles from the Los Angeles metropolitan area. It encompasses 772,676 acres in federal ownership and 19,834 acres of nonfederal lands. Of these, 595,370 acres are designated as wilderness and 70,557 acres of potential wilderness.

Ecologically, Joshua Tree National Park lies at the convergence of two deserts: the Colorado Desert, which encompasses the eastern part of the park and features natural gardens of creosote bush, ocotillo, and cholla cactus, and the Mojave Desert in the western part of the park, which hosts the special habitat of the Joshua tree. The park provides habitat for 813 plant species, 46 reptile species, 57 mammal species, and over 250 bird species. The federal register lists two park species as threatened – the desert tortoise and Parish′s daisy – and one park species as endangered – the triple-ribbed milk vetch. In addition there are 49 plant species of special concern being protected within the park. The park includes five fan palm oases, which are the few areas where surface water occurs naturally.

Joshua Tree National Park protects numerous archeological sites associated with the Pinto Culture, one of the earliest prehistoric cultures found in the California desert (7,000–10,000 years old). The park preserves sites and materials associated with at least four overlapping ethnographic native cultures—the Cahuilla, Serrano, Chemehuevi, and Mojave Indians. Other historic sites preserve information on the history of the processing of gold ore, cattle ranching, rustling, and homesteading of the southwestern deserts.

Joshua Tree National Park addition. In 2016, the NPS completed an assessment of the effects of adding approximately 20,000 acres of lands in the Eagle Mountain area to Joshua Tree National Park. Located in Riverside County near the town of Desert Center, the area considered in the assessment is bounded to the south, west, and north by Joshua Tree National Park. The eastern border is defined by the Colorado River Aqueduct. Most of the area is federally owned and managed by the BLM. However, the area also contains lands in state, private, and Metropolitan Water District of Southern California ownership. In particular, there are 2,000 acres of privately owned lands, and 335.7 acres of state school lands^[1] managed by the State Lands Commission (SLC). Map II on page 9 of the policy committee analysis provides a detailed depiction of the area considered for addition by the NPS in 2016. It is worth noting that H.R. 8031 and S. 4132 appear to only target the public lands for addition to the park.

The Department of the Interior has already initiated the process to transfer lands from the BLM to the NPS. The non-federally owned lands could become a part of the park if the property owners chose to sell, exchange, or donate the lands to the NPS. Eagle Crest Energy Company, which holds property interests in the area, has indicated that it would consider donating lands not needed for a pumped storage hydroelectric project to the NPS in the future. Regarding the school lands, SLC has indicated it would consider a land exchange when and if the surrounding private lands and mineral interests are transferred to the NPS for management. For lands that remain in private ownership, the NPS would seek to work with private landowners on mitigation strategies to avoid or minimize the impacts of any adjacent industrial uses. It is worth noting that if the park boundary were adjusted, all valid existing rights would be preserved.

The 2016 assessment found that the addition under consideration could allow for greater protection of existing habitat, restoration opportunities, landscape connectivity, and new access opportunities. Recent studies have documented the particular importance of the Eagle Mountain area for bighorn sheep and desert tortoise populations. The area also contains prehistoric and historic resources that expand on the national park’s cultural themes, and contains areas important for maintaining the park wilderness values.

Joshua Tree National Park or National Monument? This resolution would urge the President to use the federal Antiquities Act to establish a National Park Service-managed Joshua Tree National Monument adjacent to Joshua Tree National Park. It is worth noting that federal efforts conceive of the land under consideration as an addition to Joshua Tree National Park, rather than as the creation of a new monument next to the park. The author is aware of this distinction, but has specifically requested the language in this resolution because the President can move faster to establish a new monument via proclamation than Congress can move to expand the park via legislation. The idea is that the President could act to quickly protect the area and then, later in the future, Congress could complete the process by officially incorporating the land into the park.

Other National Monument proposals in California. On May 2, 2024, President Biden expanded the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument and the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument via proclamation, placing nearly 120,000 acres under new protections. There are at least two other proposals, in addition to the Chuckwalla National Monument proposal, for the creation of new national monuments in California. The Pit River Tribe and their allies are calling on President Biden to establish a national monument in Northern California to protect approximately 200,000 acres of land managed by the USFS in an area known as Sáttítla in the Medicine Lake Highlands. Additionally, the Ft. Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe is calling for the permanent protection of the Kw’tsán cultural landscape as a national monument; this proposal encompasses more than 390,000 acres of BLM-managed lands.

Related/Prior Legislation

H.R. 8031 (Ruiz, 2023-2024) and S. 4132 (Padilla, 2023-2024) would establish the Chuckwalla National Monument, consisting of approximately 621,000 acres of federal land administered by the BLM. Further, the bill would amend the California Desert Protection Act of 1994 to add approximately 17,842 acres of land to Joshua Tree National Park. H.R. 8031 is pending in the House Committee on Natural Resources. S. 4132 is pending in the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

SJR 10 (Dodd, 2024) urges the President and Congress to expand the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument to include the Walker Ridge (Molok Luyuk) Addition. This resolution is pending in the Assembly Water, Parks, and Wildlife Committee.

SJR 17 (Allen, 2024) urges the President to use the Antiquities Act of 1906 to establish the Medicine Lake Highlands National Monument and the Kw’tsán National Monument. This resolution is pending in the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee.

AB 1183 (Ramos, Chapter 380, Statutes of 2021) established the California Desert Conservation Program at the Wildlife Conservation Board.

AJR 4 (Dodd, Res. Chapter 19, Statutes of 2015) urged President Obama to use his authority under the Antiquities Act to establish a federal monument in the region known as Berryessa Snow Mountain.

FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: No Local: No

SUPPORT: (Verified 6/11/24)

Anza-Borrego Foundation
Audubon California
Bolsa Chica Land Trust
California Coastal Protection Network
California Environmental Voters
California Institute for Biodiversity
California Native Plant Society
California Wilderness Coalition
Central Valley Partnership
Defenders of Wildlife
Endangered Habitats League
Environment California
Environmental Center of San Diego
Environmental Protection Information Center
Forests Forever
Friends of Harbors, Beaches and Parks
Friends of The Desert Mountains

Consejo de Federaciones Mexicanas

ForEverGreen Forestry

Great Old Broads for Wilderness, Crest to Coast Broadband

Herpetological Conservation International
Mojave Desert Land Trust
Morongo Basin Conservation Association
Mount Shasta Bioregional Ecology Center
Nature for All
Outdoor Outreach
Pacific Forest Trust
Planning and Conservation League
Resource Renewal Institute
Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society
Santa Cruz Climate Action Network

OPPOSITION: (Verified 6/11/24 )

None received

ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT: According to the author, “As climate change continues to disrupt and forever alter our most fragile ecosystems, it is imperative that we take action to preserve sites of cultural importance. The creation of the Chuckwalla National Monument will help us to better protect lands of ecological and historical significance California and to the sovereign nations of the region.”

According to a coalition of supporters “The creation of the Chuckwalla National Monument would create a cumulative total of 637,000 acres of new permanently protected public lands in California, significantly advancing state and federal “30×30” goals to protect 30% of lands and coastal waters by 2030. To achieve our 30x30 goal in California, we need to conserve about 1 million acres of land annually for the next 7 years. The Chuckwalla National Monument would put California within striking distance of our annual goal and keep us on track to meet our overall 2030 goal.”

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Prepared by: Catherine Baxter / N.R. & W. / (916) 651-4116

6/12/24 17:04:41

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1. After California achieved statehood, the federal government granted approximately 5.5 million acres of land to California to support of schools. Proceeds from the sale of these lands helped to pay for school construction. SLC retains jurisdiction over around 450,000 acres of remaining school lands and manages them to generate revenue for CalSTRS. ↑

SENATE COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES AND WATER

Senator Dave Min, Chair

2023 - 2024 Regular

Bill No: SJR 16 Hearing Date: June 11, 2024

Subject: Chuckwalla National Monument and the Joshua Tree National Monument

SUMMARY

This Senate Joint Resolution would urge the U.S. President to use the Antiquities Act of 1906 to establish the Chuckwalla National Monument and a National Park Service-managed Joshua Tree National Monument adjacent to Joshua Tree National Park.

BACKGROUND AND EXISTING LAW

Background.

30x30 initiative. 30x30 is an international movement to protect 30% of the world’s land and waters as intact natural ecosystems by 2030. It is a milestone to a larger goal to protect 50% of these areas by 2050 in order to halt and reverse the world’s extinction crisis. Almost 200 countries agreed to protect 30% of the planet by 2030 at the 2022 United Nations Biodiversity Conference of the Parties in Montreal, Canada under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

At the federal level, the Biden Administration launched the “America the Beautiful” initiative in 2021, which includes the first national conservation goal to conserve at least 30% of U.S. lands and waters by 2030. In California, Governor Newsom issued Executive Order N-82-20 in 2020, which adopted a goal to conserve at least 30% of California’s land and coastal waters by 2030. SB 337 (Min, Chapter 392, Statutes of 2023) later codified this goal. As of May 2023, the state has conserved 24.4% of lands and 16.2% of its coastal waters. To reach the goal, it must conserve approximately 5.6 million more acres of land and approximately 500,000 more acres of coastal waters.

Federal Antiquities Act. This act, which passed in 1906, seeks to preserve America’s archeological places and historical sites, including the information they contain, on federal lands. Among other things, this act authorizes the President to establish national monuments. Specifically, the act gives the President the authority to “declare by public proclamation historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, and other objects of historic or scientific interest that are situated on land owned or controlled by the Federal Government to be national monuments” (Title 54 U.S. Codes (54 USC) §320301(a)). National monuments may be administered by the National Park Service (NPS), the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), or the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Since 1906, U.S. presidents have used their authority under the Antiquities Act to set aside land almost 300 times.

In California, there are at least 17 national monuments, including Berryessa Snow Mountain, Cabrillo, California Coastal, Carrizo Plain, Castle Mountains, César E. Chávez, Devils Postpile, Fort Ord, Giant Sequoia, Lava Beds, Mojave Trails, Muir Woods, Saint Francis Dam Disaster, Sand to Snow, San Gabriel Mountains, Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains, and Tule Lake.

Existing federal law:

1. Declares that it is a national policy to preserve for public use historic sites, buildings, and objects of national significance for the inspiration and benefit of the people of the United States. 54 USC §320101.
2. Authorizes the President to declare by public proclamation historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, and other objects of historic or scientific interest that are situated on land owned or controlled by the Federal Government to be national monuments. 54 USC §320301.

Existing state law:

1. Establishes a goal of the state to conserve at least 30% of California’s lands and coastal waters by 2030. Public Resources Code (PRC) §71450.
2. Directs the California Natural Resources Agency, in implementing the 10 pathways and specific near-term priority actions described in the Pathways to 30x30 Report to achieve the 30x30 goal, to prioritize certain actions, including supporting tribal engagement and leadership in implementing the 30x30 goal. PRC §71451.

PROPOSED LAW

This Senate Joint Resolution would urge the U.S. President to use the Antiquities Act of 1906 to establish the Chuckwalla National Monument and an NPS-managed Joshua Tree National Monument adjacent to Joshua Tree National Park.

ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT

According to the author, “As climate change continues to disrupt and forever alter our most fragile ecosystems, it is imperative that we take action to preserve sites of cultural importance. The creation of the Chuckwalla National Monument will help us to better protect lands of ecological and historical significance California and to the sovereign nations of the region.”

According to a coalition of supporters “The creation of the Chuckwalla National Monument would create a cumulative total of 637,000 acres of new permanently protected public lands in California, significantly advancing state and federal “30×30” goals to protect 30% of lands and coastal waters by 2030. To achieve our 30x30 goal in California, we need to conserve about 1 million acres of land annually for the next 7 years. The Chuckwalla National Monument would put California within striking distance of our annual goal and keep us on track to meet our overall 2030 goal.”

ARGUMENTS IN OPPOSITION

None received.

COMMENTS

This Senate Joint Resolution would urge the U.S. President to use the Antiquities Act of 1906 to establish the Chuckwalla National Monument and a National Park Service-managed Joshua Tree National Monument adjacent to Joshua Tree National Park. Map I on page 8 of this analysis provides a general depiction of these two proposals.

SJR 16 is consistent with various conservation efforts in this area, including by the federal government and other stakeholders. Most recently, on April 16, 2024, U.S. Senators Padilla and Butler and Representative Ruiz announced bicameral legislation to establish a new Chuckwalla National Monument to protect approximately 621,000 acres of public lands and expand Joshua Tree National Park by adding approximately 17,842 acres of previously designated public lands (see S. 4132 and H.R. 8031, discussed further below). On the same day, a Congressional delegation that included the authors of these bills and Democratic Congressional members from California requested that the President use the authority provided under the Antiquities Act to protect these lands.

Chuckwalla National Monument proposal. The proposed Chuckwalla National Monument includes over 620,000 acres of public lands. It is located south of Joshua Tree National Park, north of the Chocolate Mountains, and reaches from the Coachella Valley region in the west to near the Colorado River in the East. Supporters note that preserving this vast desert landscape would help ensure more equitable access to nature and recreation, protect biodiversity, and preserve significant cultural values, particularly for the local tribal communities. The area provides opportunities for outdoor recreation, like hiking, rock climbing, picnicking, stargazing, and some off-highway vehicle recreation. This area also hosts a unique, biodiverse ecosystem, provides habitat for species, like the Chuckwalla lizard, endangered desert tortoise, Sonoran pronghorn, native plans, and migratory birds. The area also contains critical migration corridors for desert bighorn sheep.

The Chuckwalla National Monument would be the largest protected area of the Colorado Desert bioregion, which is a unique climate and biological community in the California desert. Currently, there are “islands” of protected public lands in this region, including Joshua Tree National Park and wilderness areas. The proposed national monument and Joshua Tree National Park expansion would connect these “islands” and safeguard core habitat areas and linkages. This is critical for the survival of native species in the face of climate change-related habitat loss, warming temperatures, and increased drought.

The lands within the proposed national monument include the homelands of the Iviatim, Nüwü, Pipa Aha Macav, Kwatsáan, and Maara’yam peoples, also known as the Cahuilla, Chemehuevi, Mojave (Colorado Indian Tribes), Quechan, and Serrano nations. Designating the Chuckwalla National Monument would help to protect important spiritual and cultural values tied to the land such as multi-use trail systems established by Indigenous peoples, sacred sites and objects, traditional cultural places, geoglyphs, petroglyphs, and pictographs.

According to supporters, the proposed monument’s boundaries were specifically drawn to avoid areas identified in the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan (DRECP) as suitable for renewable energy development. The DRECP also identified many of the lands in the proposed monument as important to conserve for their biological values. Permanently protecting these lands will help to fulfill the DRECP’s goal of balanced development and conservation. Further, protecting these lands would help to provide a buffer for present-day military installations from development that could interfere with military operations.

It is worth noting that national monument designation would not change any existing valid rights and agreements. Instead, it provides additional opportunities for federal agencies to collaborate with tribes, states, local governments, the private sector, and non-profit partners to achieve shared goals for the management of monument lands.

Joshua Tree National Park. Joshua Tree National Park lies along the east-west transverse ranges of the Little San Bernardino Mountains in San Bernardino and Riverside counties, approximately 100 miles from the Los Angeles metropolitan area. It encompasses 772,676 acres in federal ownership and 19,834 acres of nonfederal lands. Of these, 595,370 acres are designated as wilderness and 70,557 acres of potential wilderness.

Ecologically, Joshua Tree National Park lies at the convergence of two deserts: the Colorado Desert, which encompasses the eastern part of the park and features natural gardens of creosote bush, ocotillo, and cholla cactus, and the Mojave Desert in the western part of the park, which hosts the special habitat of the Joshua tree. The park provides habitat for 813 plant species, 46 reptile species, 57 mammal species, and over 250 bird species. The federal register lists two park species as threatened – the desert tortoise and Parish′s daisy – and one park species as endangered – the triple-ribbed milk vetch. In addition there are 49 plant species of special concern being protected within the park. The park includes five fan palm oases, which are the few areas where surface water occurs naturally.

Joshua Tree National Park protects numerous archeological sites associated with the Pinto Culture, one of the earliest prehistoric cultures found in the California desert (7,000–10,000 years old). The park preserves sites and materials associated with at least four overlapping ethnographic native cultures—the Cahuilla, Serrano, Chemehuevi, and Mojave Indians. Other historic sites preserve information on the history of the processing of gold ore, cattle ranching, rustling, and homesteading of the southwestern deserts.

Joshua Tree National Park addition. In 2016, the NPS completed an assessment of the effects of adding approximately 20,000 acres of lands in the Eagle Mountain area to Joshua Tree National Park. Located in Riverside County near the town of Desert Center, the area considered in the assessment is bounded to the south, west, and north by Joshua Tree National Park. The eastern border is defined by the Colorado River Aqueduct. Most of the area is federally owned and managed by the BLM. However, the area also contains lands in state, private, and Metropolitan Water District of Southern California ownership. In particular, there are 2,000 acres of privately owned lands, and 335.7 acres of state school lands^[1] managed by the State Lands Commission (SLC). Map II on page 9 of the analysis provides a detailed depiction of the area considered for addition by the NPS in 2016. It is worth noting that H.R. 8031 and S. 4132 appear to only target the public lands for addition to the park.

The Department of the Interior has already initiated the process to transfer lands from the BLM to the NPS. The non-federally owned lands could become a part of the park if the property owners chose to sell, exchange, or donate the lands to the NPS. Eagle Crest Energy Company, which holds property interests in the area, has indicated that it would consider donating lands not needed for a pumped storage hydroelectric project to the NPS in the future. Regarding the school lands, SLC has indicated it would consider a land exchange when and if the surrounding private lands and mineral interests are transferred to the NPS for management. For lands that remain in private ownership, the NPS would seek to work with private landowners on mitigation strategies to avoid or minimize the impacts of any adjacent industrial uses. It is worth noting that if the park boundary were adjusted, all valid existing rights would be preserved.

The 2016 assessment found that the addition under consideration could allow for greater protection of existing habitat, restoration opportunities, landscape connectivity, and new access opportunities. Recent studies have documented the particular importance of the Eagle Mountain area for bighorn sheep and desert tortoise populations. The area also contains prehistoric and historic resources that expand on the national park’s cultural themes, and contains areas important for maintaining the park wilderness values.

Joshua Tree National Park or National Monument? This resolution would urge the President to use the federal Antiquities Act to establish a National Park Service-managed Joshua Tree National Monument adjacent to Joshua Tree National Park. It is worth noting that federal efforts conceive of the land under consideration as an addition to Joshua Tree National Park, rather than as the creation of a new monument next to the park. The author is aware of this distinction, but has specifically requested the language in this resolution because the President can move faster to establish a new monument via proclamation than Congress can move to expand the park via legislation. The idea is that the President could act to quickly protect the area and then, later in the future, Congress could complete the process by officially incorporating the land into the park.

Other National Monument proposals in California. On May 2, 2024, President Biden expanded the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument and the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument via proclamation, placing nearly 120,000 acres under new protections. There are at least two other proposals, in addition to the Chuckwalla National Monument proposal, for the creation of new national monuments in California. The Pit River Tribe and their allies are calling on President Biden to establish a national monument in Northern California to protect approximately 200,000 acres of land managed by the USFS in an area known as Sáttítla in the Medicine Lake Highlands. Additionally, the Ft. Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe is calling for the permanent protection of the Kw’tsán cultural landscape as a national monument; this proposal encompasses more than 390,000 acres of BLM-managed lands.

Related legislation.

Federal legislation.

H.R. 8031 (Ruiz, 2023-2024) and S. 4132 (Padilla, 2023-2024) would establish the Chuckwalla National Monument, consisting of approximately 621,000 acres of federal land administered by the BLM. Further, the bill would amend the California Desert Protection Act of 1994 to add approximately 17,842 acres of land to Joshua Tree National Park. H.R. 8031 is pending in the House Committee on Natural Resources. S. 4132 is pending in the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

State legislation.

SJR 10 (Dodd, 2024) would urge the President and Congress to expand the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument to include the Walker Ridge (Molok Luyuk) Addition. This resolution is pending in the Assembly Water, Parks, and Wildlife Committee.

SJR 17 (Allen, 2024) would urge the President to use the Antiquities Act of 1906 to establish the Medicine Lake Highlands National Monument and the Kw’tsán National Monument. This resolution is pending in the Senate Rules Committee.

AB 1183 (Ramos, Chapter 380, Statutes of 2021) established the California Desert Conservation Program at the Wildlife Conservation Board.

AJR 4 (Dodd, Res. Chapter 19, Statutes of 2015) urged President Obama to use his authority under the Antiquities Act to establish a federal monument in the region known as Berryessa Snow Mountain.

SUPPORT

Anza-Borrego Foundation
Audubon California
Bolsa Chica Land Trust
California Coastal Protection Network
California Environmental Voters
California Institute for Biodiversity
California Native Plant Society
California Wilderness Coalition
Central Valley Partnership
Defenders of Wildlife
Endangered Habitats League
Environment California
Environmental Center of San Diego
Environmental Protection Information Center
Forests Forever
Friends of Harbors, Beaches and Parks
Friends of The Desert Mountains

Consejo de Federaciones Mexicanas

ForEverGreen Forestry

Great Old Broads for Wilderness, Crest to Coast Broadband

Herpetological Conservation International
Mojave Desert Land Trust
Morongo Basin Conservation Association
Mount Shasta Bioregional Ecology Center
Nature for All
Outdoor Outreach
Pacific Forest Trust
Planning and Conservation League
Resource Renewal Institute
Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society
Santa Cruz Climate Action Network
Sierra Business Council
Sierra Club California

Outdoor Alliance

Sierra County Land Trust

SoCal 350 Climate Action

The Wilderness Society

Tuleyome

OPPOSITION

None Received

Map I. Chuckwalla National Monument and Joshua Tree National Park proposals

Source: Los Angeles Times, “Chuckwalla National Monument would protect swath of California desert and preserve a sacred land” April 28, 2024.

Map II. Lands considered for addition to Joshua Tree National Park by the NPS in 2016

Source: National Park Service, Summary Newsletter and Handout for Eagle Mountain Boundary Study

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1. After California achieved statehood, the federal government granted approximately 5.5 million acres of land to California to support of schools. Proceeds from the sale of these lands helped to pay for school construction. SLC retains jurisdiction over around 450,000 acres of remaining school lands and manages them to generate revenue for CalSTRS. ↑