The wild, open deserts that make up the Coachella Valley’s backyard are officially under federal protection as part of the new Chuckwalla National Monument.
The White House on Tuesday, Jan. 7, announced that President Joe Biden would sign a proclamation creating the Chuckwalla National Monument. The area spans 624,000 acres of public lands south of Joshua Tree National Park across Riverside and Imperial counties. It will be managed by the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management.
It’s welcome news to a large cohort of activists, tribes, politicians and environmental groups who’ve spent years organizing, rallying and petitioning to gain protection for the region. Organizers with Protect CA Deserts, a diverse coalition of supporters leading advocacy efforts, issued a press release celebrating the designation. Some supporters planned hikes for the coming weekend.
“In this moment, my heart is filled with hope—hope for humanity and a future where we live in harmony with nature,” said Moises Cisneros, an organizer with the Sierra Club who has spent five years doing community outreach regarding the proposal.
The land is a unique place in the continental U.S.; the ground is a million shades of tan with a few hints of green, where spiky plants rise up under endless skies. The new national monument protects a number of spots beloved by locals, including Painted Canyon, Box Canyon Road and the Mecca Hills Wilderness area. It also includes the Orocopia Mountains Area, the Corn Springs Campground and parts of the historic Bradshaw Trail.
These places offer mental respites, Cisneros said. “It’s a calming, healthy and healing place—spiritually and physically.”
The Chuckwalla National Monument, when added to other protected lands, is now part of what the Biden administration is calling the Moab to Mojave Conservation Corridor, the largest corridor of protected lands in the continental United States, spanning nearly 18 million acres and stretching approximately 600 miles from Southern California into Utah.
While environmental groups and Indigenous leaders have been calling for the creation of the Chuckwalla National Monument for years, efforts intensified in 2024 with various op-eds, petitions and endorsements—especially after the election. The incoming Trump administration could bring major changes to public land policy, as Trump talked about drilling on federal lands during his successful bid to regain the presidency. Trump’s first term included multiple blows to conservation causes, like the rollback of the designation of most of Bears Ears National Monument in Utah, and the withdrawal from the climate-change-focused Paris Agreement.
But Chuckwalla has seen bipartisan support; members of the California Legislature on both sides of the aisle have supported resolutions urging Biden to designate the monument. On the federal level, Democrats Rep. Raul Ruiz, Sen. Alex Padilla and Sen. Laphonza Butler in April introduced legislation to create the monument, while numerous cities and chambers of commerce have signed on in support. Historically, preserving public land hasn’t been a partisan issue; both Republican and Democratic presidents have used the Antiquities Act to create national monuments, going back to the first one created by Teddy Roosevelt in 1906.
“Whoever’s in office (should) see this as a benefit to their administration, given what the community sees as important to their health, economy and environment,” Cisneros said.
From a conservation standpoint, the designation will protect multiple historic and indigenous sites from future development, and preserve habitat for flora and fauna. The area is an important wildlife corridor, including roughly 50 bird species, desert bighorn sheep, the desert tortoise and the national monument’s namesake animal, the chuckwalla lizard.
But parts of the land had also been eyed for development, including large-scale solar projects. There are also ongoing projects regarding lithium extraction in the Salton Sea area. Rep. Ruiz said in a news release Tuesday that “Chuckwalla National Monument will pave the way for the future of conservation and renewable energy.” Protect CA Deserts said the monument’s boundaries were specifically drawn to avoid areas that could be used for renewable energy development—and the monument’s designation is supported by some businesses in the renewable-energy industry.
“The areas leading to the Salton Sea and Imperial County could be so developed in 10 years that you won’t recognize them,” Cisneros said. “This could serve as a balance to that development, providing a regional, balanced approach to responsible development and sustainable protection for lands like Chuckwalla.”
The designation ensures the preservation of portions of the traditional homelands of the Cahuilla, Chemehuevi, Mohave, Quechan and Serrano Indigenous nations. The monument push was endorsed by the National Congress of American Indians, and supported by the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians, the Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe, the Cahuilla Band of Indians, the Chemehuevi Indian Tribe, the Colorado River Indian Tribes, and the Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians.
“The desert is a rich tapestry of our heritage; it’s a living, breathing testament to our people’s resilience, our history, and our spiritual connection with nature,” said Chairman Thomas Tortez Jr. of the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians in a December news release. “Our footprints have been etched into the landscape since the beginning of time, and we continue to provide stewardship over these lands and advocate for their protection.”
“If they already knew about (Chuckwalla) before they even arrived, they’re going to book a tour in that area.”
Evan Trubee, Big Wheel Tours owner, on the economic benefits of the national monument
There’s also hope the designation could bring an economic boon, in the form of more tourists. Joshua Tree National Park has exploded in popularity in recent years, setting a new record of 3,282,575 visits in 2023—up 7% from the year prior. Some tourism experts believe Chuckwalla could create a similar draw. More than 300 businesses, business groups and chambers of commerce supported the designation, according to Protect CA Deserts.
Palm Desert City Councilmember Evan Trubee has long used the Chuckwalla lands for driving and hiking outings via his company, Big Wheel Tours. The business takes thousands of visitors from all over the world through the desert, Trubee said, and visitors typically want to see the places they’ve heard of before.
“If we offer the San Andreas Fault and Joshua Tree National Park, those are tours that sell themselves,” he said. “If they already knew about (Chuckwalla) before they even arrived, they’re going to book a tour in that area. They’re going to want to see and visit, because it made news and was in the paper.”
Trubee said the designation affirms what’s already known by locals: The vast landscapes of the California desert are unlike anywhere else.
“It’s about as exotic a landscape as you can find within the lower 48 states,” he said. “When you come to these places with almost limitless views, it’s remarkable. It’s almost a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”