August 8, 2023
Los Angeles, CA — Today, the Nature for All Coalition applauded President Joe Biden for designating Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni – Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument and urged him to use his authority under the Antiquities Act to expand the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument.
The Antiquities Act is a 1906 law that grants U.S. Presidents the ability to designate federal public lands, waters, and cultural and historical sites as national monuments with a Presidential Proclamation. Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Representative Judy Chu (CA-28) have called on the President to use the Antiquities Act to expand the monument and have championed legislation to achieve this goal.
Belén Bernal, Executive Director of the Nature for All Coalition, issued this statement:
“Nature for All thanks President Biden for designating Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni – Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument. We join groups across the country in celebrating the preservation of these important lands.
“We ask President Biden to further exercise his authority under the Antiquities Act to expand the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument. Expanding the monument is the next step in a 20-year, locally-driven effort to protect the San Gabriel Mountains. The expansion will also conserve a critical drinking water source for Los Angeles County, address the climate and biodiversity crises, and honor the cultural and historical significance of the landscape.”
To learn more about this effort and to sign a petition in support of the expansion of the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument, visit https://sangabrielmountainsforever.org/takeaction/.
Ahead of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s listening session later today, elected officials, Tribal leaders, and community members in the Los Angeles region highlighted their support for a proposal to expand the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument.
At a listening session today hosted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), hundreds of attendees called on President Biden to add 109,000 acres of the western Angeles National Forest to the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument.
For over 20 years, Nature for All and coalition members have worked to permanently protect the San Gabriel Mountains, advocate for more resources for the area, connect Angelenos to this special place, and educate local residents about how to recreate responsibly. This work – done in partnership with many local organizations and residents – led to the designation of the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument in 2014, and has brought new opportunities to the region.