in a move that marks progress towards reaching his 30 % by 2030, conservation goal, President Biden will designate Spirit Mountain in Nevada and Castner Range in Texas as monuments. Spirit Mountain , also known as Avi Kwa Ame, is sacred to several native tribes, including Fort Mojave, and will be by far the largest monument created by Biden so far, covering over 500, 000 acres, making it the 9th land monument in the country to cover that much acreage, moving it past Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks(496000 acres) and Sonoran Desert(486000 acres) into the top 10 for land monuments in size. the monument will encase the entire southern tip of Nevada. this will be Nevada’s fourth monument created since 2014’
Castner Range , near El Paso Texas, has been left undeveloped for decades due to its past use as a military shooting range by the soldiers at Fort Bliss. Sacred to several tribes, including the Comanche and Apache, it is home to at least 27 species of endangered plants and animals and will become Texas’ third national monument, joining Waco Mammoth and Alibates Flint Quarries. the monument will cover around 7000 acres, making it the smallest monument Biden has created to date- with these designations he;s created 3 monuments. It will also be the first monument managed directly by the military since the 1930s. I don;t count his actions reversing Trump on Bears Ears, Grand Staircase Escalante and Northeastern Canyons and Seamounts Marine as distinct uses of the Antiquities Act, as they were erasing illegal actions by his predecessor.
Efforts to preserve both areas have been ongoing for at least 20 years in both cases, and the fact that it took so long reflects Congress’ utter inability to act timely to conserve this country’s special places. yet another reason why the Antiquities Act is so important, it allows for immediate action.
in addition to the monuments, the president is also directing that a marine sanctuary be created covering the entire Exclusive Economic zone around the Pacific Remote islands, which was first designated as a monument by President George W Bush in 2009, then greatly expanded by President Obama in 2014.
All in all, a good day for conservation.