Since its founding in 2006, the Mojave Desert Land Trust has conserved over 100,000 acres, conveying more tracts of land to the Joshua Tree National Park Service in the last decade than any other organization. In addition to acquiring land, the land trust has established a seed bank to ensure the preservation of native species.

MECCA HILLS, Calif. (CN) — Stand among the jagged rock formations here, with the clear desert sky above, and it feels like you're deep in the wilderness, far removed from cars and other signs of modern life. 

But Mecca Hills — part of the newly established Chuckwalla National Monument — is not in the middle of nowhere. Instead, this sanctuary is right on the periphery of popular and upscale vacation spots like Palm Springs, Joshua Tree National Park and the site of Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.

Roughly 740,000 acres of the Mojave Desert comprise California's newest national monument in Riverside and Imperial counties.

Chuckwalla National Monument was established in mid-January by outgoing President Joe Biden as one of his last executive actions after several years of grassroots and advocacy campaigning by groups like Mojave Desert Land Trust (MDLT). It is now the fifth largest land-based national monument in the mainland U.S.

Líderes tribales, funcionarios electos y miembros de la comunidad local celebraron los planes del presidente Biden de designar el Monumento Nacional Chuckwalla en el desierto de California y el Monumento Nacional Sáttítla Highlands en el norte de California.

Last week, as one of his last executive actions, President Joe Biden designated two national monuments in California, trying to protect the areas from gas and oil development by the incoming Trump administration. VOA’s Genia Dulot has the report.