Trust for Public Land on President Biden Declaring His Commitment to Designate Avi Kwa Ame a National Monument  

Washington D.C. – A statement from Diane Regas, Trust for Public Land president and CEO, on President Biden declaring his commitment to designating Avi Kwa Ame in Southern Nevada as a National Monument, providing permanent protections via the Antiquities Act:  

“Trust for Public Land applauds the President’s historic commitment to Nevada’s Tribal Nations and communities to designate Avi Kwa Ame a National Monument. The proposed Avi Kwa Ame National Monument will protect sacred land and connect sensitive desert landscapes, spanning from the Mojave National Preserve in California to the Lake Mead National Recreation Area in Southern Nevada. 

The land within Avi Kwa Ame is sacred to 12 Tribal nations, includes critical habitat for a wide range of wildlife, provides world-class outdoor recreation opportunities, and contains some of the most stunning landscapes in Nevada.  

Our national monuments and other public lands serve as fulcrums of history, family ancestry and heritage. The Mojave name for Spirit Mountain, Avi Kwa Ame is considered the sacred center of creation by ten Yuman speaking tribes as well as by the Hopi and Chemehuevi Paiute. By protecting special places, like Avi Kwa Ame, we are deepening our shared connection to the land, and in turn, building and honoring those that came before us.  

We urge President Biden to follow through with his commitment to permanently protect Avi Kwa Ame and fully honor the Tribes proposals by making it a National Monument. The use of the Antiquities Act to ensure these sacred and majestic landscapes remain untouched and protected forever could not be more fitting.” 

The Trust for Public Land has contributed to the protection of more than 6,800 acres of national monuments, visited by millions of people annually, as they connect to nature, experience cultural treasures, and enjoy the outdoors. These monuments have included projects at Bandelier, California Coastal, Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers Boyhood Home, Fort Sumter, Pipestone, Rio Grande del Norte, and Stonewall, demonstrating the depth and breadth of places the Antiquities Act protects and the American stories our national monuments tell. 

Passed by Congress and signed by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906, the Antiquities Act permanently protects land that is determined to be of significant cultural, scientific, or natural value. Without it, places like the Grand Canyon or Zion National Park would never enjoy the level of protection that today enables visitors to experience their majesty.  

In recent years, TPL has worked with land managers and local communities near newly designated National Monuments, to acquire priority inholdings, clean up checkerboard ownership, or to improve and increase public access.   

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About The Trust for Public Land  

The Trust for Public Land creates parks and protects land for people, ensuring healthy, livable communities for generations to come. Millions of people live within a 10-minute walk of a Trust for Public Land park, garden, or natural area, and millions more visit these sites every year. To support The Trust for Public Land and share why nature matters to you, visit www.tpl.org.