President Joe Biden has expanded two national monuments in California, adding nearly 120,000 acres of important cultural and environmental land to protected areas. These expansions are part of Biden’s “America the Beautiful” initiative, which aims to conserve public lands and meet federal goals to protect 30% of lands and waters by 2030. The White House highlighted the role of Vice President Kamala Harris, who played a key role in ensuring protections in her home state of California, which also has conservation targets.
However, some Republicans and other critics of the president’s initiative argue that it ties up resources that could be used for agriculture and other purposes, and question whether Biden has exceeded his legal authority. In the past, Biden has reversed some of the conservation decisions made by former President Donald Trump, including restoring monuments and protected lands that had been canceled by the previous administration.
The expansions include the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument in Pasadena, driven by calls from Indigenous peoples like the Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians and the Gabrieleno San Gabriel Band of Mission Indians. In Sacramento, the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument was expanded to include Molok Luyuk, significant to tribal nations like the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation for religious ceremonies and trading routes. The goal is to make nature more accessible for Californians while protecting species like black bears, mountain lions, and tule elk.
Expansion and designation efforts are made possible under the Antiquities Act of 1906, which allows the president to protect cultural and natural resources on federal lands. California residents are calling on the Biden administration to designate a total of five monuments this year, including Chuckwalla National Monument, Kw’tsán National Monument, and Sáttítla, also known as the Medicine Lake Highlands. Across the nation, tribes and conservation groups have been urging Biden to make additional designations, and so far, the administration has established or expanded seven national monuments, restored protections for three more, and taken other measures.
Biden’s previous actions include designating Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni outside Grand Canyon National Park last August, which is being challenged by the top two Republicans in Arizona’s Legislature. In 2021, he restored two national monuments in Utah and a marine conservation area in New England where environmental protections had been reduced by Trump, a move that was also challenged in court. Additional monuments designated by Biden include Avi Kwa Ame National Monument in Nevada and Castner Range in Texas, both sacred to Native Americans in the region. Overall, the administration is working to protect natural and cultural resources while addressing climate change and conservation goals.
