Joshua Tree National Park expansion gains momentum with Chuckwalla National Monument plan

Editor's note: This story was originally published in September. We are republishing it as we look back at some of our most-read stories of the year.

The vision to create a massive national monument adjacent to Joshua Tree National Park became a formal proposal in September, with the hope it will provide recreation opportunities for east Coachella Valley residents, and help efforts to preserve both habitats for endangered species and important tribal cultural sites.

The monument would nearly double the amount of federally protected desert landscape in the area north and east of the Coachella Valley. At 660,000 acres, the Chuckwalla National Monument would rival the roughly 800,000-acre Joshua Tree National Park in size.

The Chuckwalla National Monument, proposed by U.S. Rep. Raul Ruiz and named for the large lizard found in the desert region was first announced by a coalition of environmental groups last year. It would hug Joshua Tree National Park’s southern boundary, stretching along Interstate 10 from the edge of the eastern Coachella Valley all the way to the Colorado River. The proposed monument is nearly 700,000 acres, and would include land in both Riverside and Imperial counties.

Chuckwalla National Monument would include the popular Ladder Canyon and Painted Canyon Trail, where hikers can view colorful giant rock formations and scramble up ladders through a narrow canyon. The nearby Orocopia Mountains and Box Canyon Road are also popular local hiking and camping destinations.*

In addition to the new national monument proposal, a separate proposal would expand Joshua Tree National Park to the east in the Eagle Mountain area by about 17,000 acres.

Congress or President Joe Biden could create new monument

There are two routes to creating a new national monument: a vote by Congress or a presidential designation under the Antiquities Act. Ruiz initiated the Congressional process earlier in September when he introduced the Chuckwalla National Monument Establishment and Joshua Tree National Park Expansion Act of 2023. Ruiz and members of the California Legislature also will be sending a letter to the Biden-Harris Administration soon that calls on the administration to establish the national monument under the Antiquities Act.

"This is so exciting to me because it comes from the people, this isn't coming from me telling you this is what I'm doing, or the government telling you what to do, this is coming from the young men and women who live in our communities and don't access our national parks, from the individuals in the communities like the promotoras who have worked tirelessly to help our communities with health, and now this will give access to parks where they can bring the community to and improve their health," Ruiz said at a press conference. "This came to me from the individuals who have too long been forgotten and marginalized and dismissed."

A large coalition of local organizations, elected officials, tribes, and state and local officials gathered for a press conference Monday to launch the "Protect Chuckwalla National Monument" campaign.

The eventual monument would also be co-managed between the federal government and local tribes. Recently, a wave of newer monuments such as the Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni - Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument in Arizona, Bears Ears National Monument in Utah, and Avi Kwa Ame in Nevada have been established as entities co-managed with local tribes.

State eyeing 30% of lands conserved by 2030

The local monument proposal comes as both the state and federal government are starting "30 by 30 conservation goals, which focus on conserving 30% of lands and coastal waters by 2030.

At nearly 700,000 acres, the Chuckwalla National Monument represents a "critical part of our overall effort" as "the largest and one of the most significant proposals" on the table under the state's 30 by 30 plans, according to Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot.

Crowfoot added that the Chuckwalla National Monument proposal aligns with four key state goals involving tribal engagement and stewardship, creating outdoor recreation opportunities for all, conserving land as a climate change strategy, and boosting the state's economy.

So far, President Joe Biden has designated five new national monuments, but none in California. In addition to the Chuckwalla National Monument, other potential monuments state officials are eyeing are a 110,000-acre expansion of the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument, a 150,000-acre Medicine Lake Highlands monument east of Mount Shasta, and a 15,000-acre expansion of the Berryessa Snow National Monument in Northern California, Politico reported in August.

Surrounding area earmarked for solar development

Supporters of the proposal pointed out that importantly, the proposed boundaries of the national monument don't violate the painstakingly created Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan, a 22.5 million-acre plan covering seven counties that identifies specific development focus areas for renewable energy, while also specifying which areas should be conserved for wildlife, recreation, cultural, and other uses. Swaths of land in Riverside and Imperial counties north of the proposed monument boundaries are flagged for solar energy development under the plan.

Instead, the proposed boundaries were drawn to avoid the areas identified for renewable energy development, with supporters saying the national monument is intended to be complimentary to the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan.

The land within the proposed monument boundaries is all under the Bureau of Land Management, with various specific designations ― Mecca Hills and Orocopia Mountains are both designated wilderness areas, for example, where regulations are generally stricter than the non-wilderness BLM lands surrounding these designated areas.

National monument designations only apply to federally managed land within the monument boundaries, so a designation wouldn’t impact private land inholdings and existing uses located within the proposed monument.

Chuckwalla would be the valley's third national monument

If the Chuckwalla National Monument proposal comes to fruition, the Chuckwalla National Monument would be the third national monument in the Coachella Valley region, joining the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument and Sand to Snow National Monument, and would be the first national monument in the eastern Coachella Valley region.

The Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument was established by Congress in 2000, and more recently, then-President Barack Obama established the Sand to Snow National Monument in 2016.

"The Coachella Valley will be the only place in the United States completely ringed by conservation land, with Chuckwalla National Monument, Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument, Sand to Snow National Monument, and Joshua Tree National Park," said Desert Hot Springs City Councilmember Gary Gardner. "No other place in the United States will be as surrounded."

*A previous version of this story contained incorrect information about which local recreation areas would be included in the national monument.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Joshua Tree National Park expansion gains steam with monument proposal