President Joe Biden designates Castner Range in El Paso as national monument

President Joe Biden signed proclamations establishing Castner Range in El Paso, Texas, and Avi Kwa Ame in southern Nevada as national monuments.

"The people of El Paso have fought to protect it for 50 years. Their work paid off," Biden said Tuesday about Castner Range. "Now, it'll be preserved for future generations."

Biden announced Tuesday at the White House Conservation in Action Summit in Washington that he will use his authority under the Antiquities Act to proclaim national monuments on federal lands that contain historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, or other objects of historic or scientific interest.

Biden will also direct Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo to consider initiating a new National Marine Sanctuary designation within 30 days to protect all U.S. waters around the Pacific Remote Islands.

Castner Range, located on Fort Bliss and within the Chihuahuan desert along the Rio Grande, is the ancestral homeland of the Comanche and Apache people. Its cultural ecology is considered sacred to several Indigenous communities.

Castner Range also served as a training and testing site for the U.S. Army during World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.

Fort Bliss used the area for weapons training and testing through the 1960s. Because military ordnance and explosives pose a safety risk, the site is closed to public access.

U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, a vocal proponent of protecting the area since taking office, tweeted the following Tuesday morning: "I'm absolutely thrilled about the designation. Today's historic announcement has been decades in the making.

"Generations of activists have dedicated countless hours and resources toward achieving this once seemingly impossible goal. It brings me such joy to know that El Pasoans will soon be able to enjoy the beauty of this majestic, expansive landmark for years to come," Escobar, D-El Paso, added.

Organizations, including the Hispanic Access Foundation and the El Paso Community Foundation, have worked alongside Escobar for years to advocate in Washington, D.C. for Biden to name Caster Range a national monument, which would permanently protect the Franklin Mountains site.

"The designation as a national monument protects Castner Range forever," said El Paso Community Foundation President and CEO Eric Pearson, whose organization has advocated for the designation for over a decade. "It is really the epitome of who we are as a community and having it protected means a whole lot to this community — it's huge."

Pearson said his group had been going "year to year" working to ensure Castner Range was free from development, but had always known that a presidential designation was the ultimate goal to protect the native plants and animals, as well as the Native American cultural sites, that call the area home.

For Brenda Gallegos, conservation program associate with the Hispanic Access Foundation, the designation means future generations will be able to enjoy the natural beauty of the range.

"The designation of Castner Range as a national monument brings great joy to my heart. Castner Range National Monument will provide access to nature that we desperately need in our communities," Gallegos said in an email. "It reflects the history, culture and legacy of all El Pasoans and having this protected will allow for several generations to continue to enjoy the beauty of our natural landscape, a place we call home."

The Ysleta del Sur Pueblo Tribal Council of the Tigua Indians was not immediately available to comment on the president's announcement.

In an op-ed column in 2022, Rafael Gomez Jr. a tribal councilman of the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo at the time, described the uniqueness of Castner Range to the region.

"To the Tigua people of Ysleta del Sur, this land is our home – the home of our culture, our traditions, our heritage and our history," Gomez wrote.

"Words alone cannot do justice to describe the breathtaking views of Castner Range. As you saw first hand, Castner Range is full of life, despite the seemingly empty desert floor. Archeological evidence in the form of structural remains, pictographs, petroglyphs, and pottery pieces remind us of some of the earliest human inhabitants of the area."

The Avi Kwa Ame, also known as Spirt Mountain, is a sacred burial ground by the Mojave, Chemehuevi and some Southern Paiute people and is important to other Tribal Nations and Indigenous Peoples. It's also home to one of the world's largest Joshua tree forests and provides continuous habitat or migration corridors for species such as the desert bighorn sheep and desert tortoise.

The new national monuments will protect nearly 514,000 acres of public lands.

In a video posted after Biden's announcement, Escobar stood shoulder to shoulder with an array of El Paso community advocates to celebrate the designation but noted that the work is just getting started.

“There’s more to come… this is the beginning of another part of a very important journey — one about cleanup, one about community engagement," Escobar said. "But the great news is that we finally have Castner Range forever.”

What we know about Castner Range

Part of the Franklin Mountains, the Castner Range is a 7,000 acre federally-owned land in Northeast El Paso currently managed by the Department of Defense.

Since the 1970s, El Paso community groups have advocated for Castner Range to be protected. The Castner Range Coalition has identified a national monument as the best way to protect the land and eventually clear the munitions and explosives.

Key dates for Castner Range

• 1926 the government acquired 3,500 acres that formed Castner Range.

• 1939 an additional 4,828 acres were added.

• 1926-1966 the land was used by Fort Bliss as a live-firing range.

• 1966 all live firing ceased as El Paso grew closer to the mountain.

• 1967-1969 Transmountain Road was constructed.

• 1979 State of Texas HB 867 was signed, creating Franklin Mountains State Park.

• 2010 County Commissioners Court passed a resolution in favor of permanently preserving Castner Range.

• 2011 County Commissioners Court approves a resolution urging that Castner Range be dedicated as a National Monument.

• 2018 President Trump signed the 2018 NDAA, which included language to protect Castner Range.

• 2021 Congresswoman Veronica Escobar introduces H.R. 2752, "The Castner Range National Monument Act" in the U.S. House of Representatives.

• March 21, 2023, President Biden declares Castner Range a national monument.

El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser: Let’s all go out and enjoy Castner Range National Monument!

El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser released a statement Tuesday afternoon, "This is a truly happy day for El Paso! It is the joyous culmination of years and years of work, love, and advocacy by so many El Pasoans like Dr. Richard Teschner, and rest her soul Judy Ackerman who we recently lost. I know she is smiling down from heaven knowing that this designation ensures that the beauty of our region will always be preserved," Leeser said.

"Thank you to President Biden for this important designation, and to Congresswoman Escobar for her commitment and dedication to getting this done. Now let’s all go out and enjoy Castner Range National Monument!"

Beto O'Rourke: Castner Range becomes a National Monument today!

Beto O'Rourke said Tuesday morning: "Castner Range becomes a National Monument today! 10,000 years of human history in one of the most beautiful places on the planet will now be preserved forever. THANK YOU President Biden, Rep. Escobar and the El Paso community (Judy Ackerman, I know you're smiling up there)!"

Judy Ackerman threw herself into social and environmental causes in El Paso. She was a perennial presence at public meetings and relentlessly collected petition signatures for the causes she cared about, including the permanent protection of the Castner Range of the Franklin Mountains in northeast El Paso.

Ackerman died on Nov. 6. She was first diagnosed with cancer in 2015. The cancer was in remission before returning in 2022.

More:The Franklin Mountains changed my mind about El Paso: Judy Ackerman

More:El Paso remembers Judy Ackerman, community advocate, champion of Franklin Mountains

Elected officials celebrate Castner Range designation

Biden wasn't the only official to take to Twitter to celebrate the designation - an array of state and federal lawmakers sounded off on the long-fought victory ahead of the president's announcement Tuesday afternoon.

"Almost one year ago, I visited Castner Range and heard from the community about how special it is to the El Paso community," said U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland in a tweet. "Today, @POTUS is protecting it for future generations."

"Today is a proud day for @USArmy," Under Secretary of the U.S. Army Gabe Camarillo, an El Paso native, tweeted. "We are thrilled by @POTUS's decision to make Castner Range at @FortBlissTexas a national monument managed by the Army. This announcement represents the culmination of years of advocacy by the El Paso community."

"Protecting and expanding our public lands is our responsibility and @POTUS's designation of Castner Range National Monument in El Paso will help ensure we preserve it for decades to come," U.S Rep. Colin Allred of Dallas said in a tweet.

City Rep. Joe Molinar likewise released a statement celebrating the designation and those who worked tirelessly for years to make it a reality.

"I have worked tirelessly by being a guest speaker, block walking, obtaining petition signatures, phone banking, meeting, and greeting federal, state, and local elected officials on this issue," Molinar said in the statement. "To the great citizens who signed the petitions, to the numerous students who submitted artwork, and to all the unnamed volunteers who remained focused and steadfast over so many decades, your dedicated work is not in vain."

"A heartfelt 'thank you' to the late Judy Ackerman who devoted countless years of her life fighting for this moment," he continued. "To Dr. Richard V. Teschner whose unwavering and steadfast fight to make Castner Range a NationalMonument, a 'thank you' is just not enough."

Michael Collins of USA Today contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Castner Range becomes new national monument by President Joe Biden