LOS ANGELES (AFP) – United States (US) President Joe Biden designated two new US national monuments – sprawling parks – in California as he looks to secure his environmental legacy in the waning days of his presidency.
Just weeks before Donald Trump is due to move into the White House, the 82-year-old proclaimed the 624,000-acre Chuckwalla National Monument, near Joshua Tree National Park in southern California.
The move will protect the area from drilling, mining, solar energy farms and other industrial activity, and comes after lobbying from Native American tribes who have used the land for millennia.
Biden also created the 224,000-acre Sattitla National Monument in the state’s far north, at the border with Oregon, offering that area the same environmental safeguards.
“The stunning canyons and winding paths of the Chuckwalla National Monument represent a true unmatched beauty,” said Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, the first Native American to serve as a cabinet secretary.
“It was my honour to visit this area to explore and meet with federal, state, tribal and local leaders to hear about the need to protect and conserve this sacred area.
“President Biden’s action today will protect important spiritual and cultural values tied to the land and wildlife. I am so grateful that future generations will have the opportunity to experience what makes this area so unique.”
Biden’s four-year term in office has been marked by the creation of eight other national monuments and the expansion of four more.
Yesterday’s move means he conserved more lands and waters than any other US president, the White House said.
