Breaking: Two New Monuments in California!

https://www.sierraclub.org/press-releases/2025/01/biden-designates-two-new-national-monuments-california

After years of local advocacy and signatures from over 30,000 Sierra Club supporters like you, we are thrilled to announce that California has just secured two more national monuments! By using powers granted to the presidency by the Antiquities Act, Biden has formally protected approximately 848,000 acres of beautiful lands at opposite ends of the Golden State: Sáttítla Highlands, in the forests of Northern California and Chuckwalla, in the Southern California desert.

We are honored to share these long and hard-fought victories with tribes, local leaders, community advocates, and supporters like you. Together, we have protected precious landscapes, vital habitat and water sources, and cherished places that can be enjoyed for generations to come.

Chuckwalla Box Canyon by Bob Wick

The designation of Chuckwalla National Monument honors Tribal sovereignty and supports the priorities of Tribal Nations by safeguarding over 624,000 acres of culturally significant landscapes. The Chuckwalla National Monument will protect the desert landscape from the ongoing threat of harmful development, ensuring the resilience of iconic and endangered species like desert bighorn sheep, desert tortoise, and the namesake, chuckwalla lizard. These new federal protections will also preserve access to public lands for disadvantaged communities of color living nearby. The Chuckwalla National Monument sits on a large portion of California's carbon sinks and will further help us mitigate the worst impacts of climate change.  

Sáttítla Highlands National Monument preserves over 224,000 acres of culturally significant and ecologically rich lands within the Shasta-Trinity, Klamath, and Modoc National Forests in Northern California. This historic designation protects sacred sites for the Pit River Nation and other Tribal communities, preserves vital water resources relied upon by millions of Californians, and safeguards critical wildlife habitats that support biodiversity. By conserving these lands, we're taking an important step toward addressing the climate crisis and contributing to the national goal of protecting 30% of U.S. lands and waters by 2030.

This achievement reflects the power of local and Tribal leadership in advancing community-driven conservation efforts. Protected lands like Sáttítla offer opportunities for people to connect with nature, breathe clean air, and access clean water, while honoring cultural and historical legacies that shape our shared identity.

Overhead view of the Sáttítla landscape. Image source: Ecoflight. | Learn more & support our work to protect Sáttítla.

Whatever your reason for fighting for more protections for public lands -- whether it's preserving a specific site, benefiting your community, or continuing the legacy of conservation -- your advocacy makes all the difference. Together, we can protect even more special places. Thank you for starting this year with such a powerful impact!

Jackie Feinberg

National Lands Conservation Campaign Manager

Sierra Club