Avi Kwa Ame to be named a national monument, TWS celebrates

Today, President Biden committed to Tribes at the White House Tribal Nations Summit to soon act upon years of collaborative efforts to preserve sacred Native cultural landscapes and nationally significant natural resources, while providing for continued outdoor recreation and access in southern Nevada by designating his second new national monument, Avi Kwa Ame National Monument.  

Known as the “center of creation” by some Tribes, Avi Kwa Ame translates to “Spirit Mountain” in the Mojave language. This healthy desert ecosystem acts as “connective tissue” for migrating wildlife such as the desert tortoise and desert bighorn sheep and is home to treasured petroglyphs and one of the largest Joshua tree forests in the country.  

The Bureau of Land Management would manage a new national monument, cementing the agency’s role in conserving critical lands for wildlife facing impacts of climate change and connecting their habitat across the West.  

In response to the commitment The Wilderness Society President Jamie Williams, said:  

“Today we applaud President Biden’s commitment at the White House Tribal Nations Summit to permanently protect the sacred and unique lands that make up Avi Kwa Ame National Monument and we look forward to seeing him follow through on this historic promise soon. We expect to hold the President to his commitment and support the Tribes, community members, local businesses, elected representatives, recreationalists, artists, and conservation groups urging him to protect this landscape for generations by including the original boundary as proposed by the Tribes to ensure industrial development will not be part of Avi Kwa Ame’s future.” 

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For more information, contact Tony Iallonardo at newsmedia@tws.org