Release Date: March 21, 2023
Coalition Celebrates New National Monument Designations
Today, President Biden used his authority under the Antiquities Act to designate the Avi Kwa Ame National Monument in Southern Nevada and the Castner Range National Monument in West Texas.
Mike Murray, Chair of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, issued this statement following the announcement:
“We are delighted that President Biden has designated two new national monuments today.
The designation of the Avi Kwa Ame National Monument and the protection of this sacred landscape is an important contribution to the preservation of Native American ancestral lands. This national monument designation will help to protect hundreds of thousands of acres of land in the Mojave Desert that are rich in biodiversity, history, and culture.
In addition, the designation of the Castner National Monument will protect an unspoiled landscape that is home to diverse vegetation and wildlife, as well as archaeological and historical resources that date back thousands of years. It will also provide more equitable outdoor access to a local community that has passionately supported a national monument designation for Castner Range National Monument.
We thank President Biden for this action today, and we encourage the administration to continue to strengthen their conservation legacy – and push hard towards the goals laid out in the 30 x 30 initiative – by using the Antiquities Act to establish protections for other culturally and naturally significant spaces.”
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