WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden designated two California sites — a swathe of desert significant to native tribes and a dormant volcano — as national monuments on Tuesday, advancing his record of conserving more U.S. areas than any predecessor.
He had intended to announce the move in California last week, but raging wildfires around Los Angeles canceled his visit to Coachella Valley, near one of the new monuments. Instead, he made the announcement at the White House on Tuesday evening.
The new Chuckwalla National Monument in the southern California desert preserves more than 624,000 acres just south of Joshua Tree National Park. The area holds significance for the Cahuilla, Chemehuevi, Mojave, Quechan and Serrano tribes.
The Sattitla Highlands National Monument in northern California protects 224,000 acres where the dormant Medicine Lake volcano carved craters and lava tubes. The area is sacred to the Pit River and Modoc tribes.
“Our natural wonders are the heart and soul of our nation,” Biden told an audience in the White House’s East Room.
With the national monument designation, presidents can preserve a site for its historic or cultural significance, but a future president can rescind the order. Biden leaves office next week when President-elect Donald Trump is inaugurated.
The White House said last week Biden as president had conserved more than 670 million acres of U.S. land and water, the most of any president.
Biden set a goal early in his presidency to protect at least 30% of U.S. lands and waters by 2030. The administration said in April that progress was on track to meet the target.
However, Trump has promised to promote drilling for fossil fuels, and environmental groups have said they expect him to seek to reverse many of Biden’s conservation efforts.
Biden last week protected nearly every U.S. coastline from offshore oil and gas development.
(Reporting by Gabriella Borter; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
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