Mojave Desert Land Trust joins Department of the Interior and community leaders to discuss proposed Chuckwalla National Monument
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 20, 2024
Contact: Krystian Lahage, Public Policy Officer
Email: krystian.lahage@mdlt.org
Mojave Desert Land Trust joins Department of the Interior and community leaders to discuss proposed Chuckwalla National Monument
Joshua Tree, CA – On Saturday, May 18th, the Mojave Desert Land Trust joined local leaders and United States Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland to discuss legislation introduced by U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Laphonza Butler and Representative Raul Ruiz, M.D. to establish Chuckwalla National Monument and expand Joshua Tree National Park.
Situated within one of the largest intact ecosystems in the United States outside of Alaska, the proposed National Monument spans approximately 627,000 acres from the Coachella Valley region in the west to near the Colorado River in the east. This proposal would also expand Joshua Tree National Park by approximately 17,000 acres of public lands east of the park.
Following the meeting, Kelly Herbinson, Mojave Desert Land Trust’s Executive Director, released the following statement:
“The grassroots campaign to designate the Chuckwalla National Monument has reached a significant milestone today, bringing this place of cultural and ecological significance one step closer to permanent protection. Chuckwalla provides an opportunity to safeguard wildlife corridors and habitat connectivity between the monument, Joshua Tree National Park, and Bureau of Land Management wilderness to the south. This key linkage will support the region as habitat loss and climate change imperil countless species, including the desert tortoise.
Almost the entirety of the proposed monument is critical habitat for the desert tortoise, which was uplisted to an endangered species under the California Endangered Species Act this April. The designation of Chuckwalla National Monument will provide much-needed support for the region to act as an anchor for the species in its southern range.
The Mojave Desert Land Trust thanks U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland for this opportunity to share why the Biden Administration’s designation of these lands is so crucial to the future of California’s deserts and the iconic flora and fauna that call it home.”
The Mojave Desert Land Trust (MDLT) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with the mission to protect and care for lands with natural, scenic, and cultural value within the Colorado and Mojave Deserts. Since its founding in 2006, MDLT has conserved over 120,000 acres, conveying more tracts of land to the National Park Service than any other nonprofit. MDLT established a conservation seed bank to ensure the preservation of native species and operates an onsite nursery at its Joshua Tree headquarters which has grown over 120,000 native plants for restoration projects and community landscaping. MDLT educates and advocates for the conservation of the desert, involving hundreds of volunteers in our work. For more information, visit mdlt.org.