Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland recently visited public lands in southern Nevada to meet with Tribal and local community leaders and to experience the landscape that is considered sacred by several Tribal nations, including the Fort Mojave Indian Tribe.
According to a press release, Secretary Haaland visited with members of the Fort Mojave Tribal Council to tour an area in the Mojave Desert known as Avi Kwa Ame, or Spirit Mountain, along with Congresswoman Susie Lee, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Laura Daniel-Davis, and Bureau of Land Management Nevada State Director Jon Raby.
The group saw the biological diversity of the region, including some of the largest Joshua Trees in Nevada. The public lands also provide recreational activities to the public, such as hiking and birding.
“Today, the mountain and the surrounding landscape continue to serve as a place for the Tribes to practice their religion and culture,” the U.S. Department of the Interior said in the press release. “Spirit Mountain was designated a Traditional Cultural Property on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999 in recognition of its religious and cultural importance.”
Haaland also visited the Bureau of Land Management-managed Walking Box Ranch, the former home of silent movie stars Clara Bow and Rex Bell, where she met with local Tribal leaders, elected officials and interested stakeholders to hear about their shared vision to conserve the ecological, cultural, historical and natural integrity of the landscape for present and future generations.
There was a proposal in early 2022 to protect the entire region of Avi Kwa Ame National Monument in southern Nevada, rather than the current fragmented protected region. This would consist of about 445,000 acres of land that is considered culturally important.
