Secretary Deb Haaland Visits California’s 25th District to Survey the Chuckwalla National Monument
Coachella, CA – Today,Congressman Dr. Raul Ruiz (CA-25) released the following statement regarding Secretary Deb Haaland’s recent visit to California’s 25th Congressional District.
“This visit from Secretary Haaland is a crucial next step towards the President establishing the Chuckwalla National Monument and protecting lands adjacent to Joshua Tree National Park,” said Congressman Dr. Raul Ruiz. “The Chuckwalla National Monument will protect over 627,000 acres of land in Imperial and Riverside counties. It will improve the health and overall quality of life for all members of our communities from veterans to children. The Chuckwalla National Monument is good for the environment, the economy, and the public’s health. I am thrilled that our robust coalition of community and tribal leaders have successfully built the necessary momentum that protects our environment and wildlife while promoting the growth of renewable energy.”
“It is an honor to welcome Secretary Deb Haaland to the Golden State to learn more about our efforts to conserve the natural and cultural wonders of the California Desert,” said Senator Alex Padilla. “I look forward to continuing to work with the Biden-Harris Administration to fulfill the vision of establishing the Chuckwalla National Monument to protect critical wildlife habitat, preserve sacred tribal sites, and improve equitable access to nature for our local communities.”
“For thousands of years, the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians have called the lands in the proposed Chuckwalla National Monument home,” said Chairman Thomas Tortez Jr. of the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians. “The area contains thousands of cultural places and objects of vital importance to the history and identity of the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians. We strongly support the designation of the Chuckwalla National Monument and thank Secretary Haaland for visiting and learning more about this effort.”
“These lands encompass our origins, history, songs, religious ceremonies, ancient sites, trails, petroglyphs, artifacts, and intaglios that are spread throughout our traditional territories,” said Jordan D. Joaquin, President of the Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe. “Our footsteps are etched into the landscape since the beginning of time and we continue to persist in modern times, still providing stewardship over these lands. We are wholeheartedly in support of the proposed Chuckwalla National Monument.”
“I support the proposed Chuckwalla National Monument,” said Evan Trubee, Owner of Big Wheel Tours and Palm Desert City Councilmember. “Protecting public lands here in the Coachella Valley will preserve the wildlife and beautiful landscapes that make our desert home unique. It will help ensure access to the outdoors for our local communities and protect the nature that draws visitors to Riverside and Imperial Counties.”
“Thank you, Secretary Haaland, for visiting the Coachella Valley and learning more about the effort to designate the new Chuckwalla National Monument,” said Frank Ruiz, Director of Audubon California’s Desert and Salton Sea Programs. “As our communities face the impacts of climate change, this is a critical step in protecting the special places that both people and birds need. Not only will the designation preserve vital habitat and safeguard the area's biodiversity, it will ensure that local residents have access to the great outdoors.”
“I was honored to meet with Secretary Haaland and share with her not only my support for the designation of the Chuckwalla National Monument but also the vital role public lands and time in nature have played in my well-being,” saidCraig Meling, retired U.S. Army Major who lives in the Coachella Valley. “After eighteen years and multiple deployments, I left the Army. And I was struggling. A major part of my transition back to civilian life and healing has been time spent with nature. I owe it to myself and my fellow veterans to continue to push for the preservation and expansion of these lands for both their history and to serve as a respite for those seeking a reprieve from the trauma of war.”
“The Colorado River Indian Tribes (CRIT) support the permanent and long-term protection of ancestral lands and the cultural landscape through the designation of the Chuckwalla National Monument,” said Amelia Flores, Chairwoman of the Colorado River Indian Tribes. “This designation would protect these ancestral lands as well as require meaningful conversation. CRIT has worked tirelessly to preserve and protect water, resources, and sacred sites. This designation would clearly affirm CRIT’s spiritual, cultural, and ancestral connection to these lands.”
“The Cahuilla Band of Indians is in strong support of the creation of the Chuckwalla National Monument,” said Erica Schenk, Chairwoman of the Cahuilla Band of Indians. “The area includes village sites, camps, quarries, food processing sites, power places, trails, glyphs, and story and song locations, all of which are evidence of the Cahuilla peoples’ and other tribes’ close and spiritual relationship to these desert lands.”
Establishing the Chuckwalla National Monument would contribute to the Administration’s goal under Executive Order 14008 of permanently conserving 30 percent of the United States lands and coastal waters by 2030. Chuckwalla National Monument would be one of largest land monuments in the continental United States.