U.S.Interior Secretary Deb Haaland is praising President Joe Biden's designation of Avi Kwa Ame National Monument in Nevada.
The new Avi Kwa Ame National Monument consists of approximately 500,000 acres of federal lands within Clark County, according to a March 21 news release. The monument will be co-managed by the Bureau of Land Management, as part of its National Conservation Lands System, and the National Park Service, as part of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area.
“Avi Kwa Ame holds deep spiritual, sacred and historic significance to the Native people who have lived on these lands for generations," Haaland said in the release. "I am grateful to President Biden for taking this important step in recognition of the decades of advocacy from Tribes and the scientific community, who are eager to protect the objects within its boundaries. Together with Tribal leaders, outdoor enthusiasts, local elected officials and other stakeholders, we will manage this new monument for the benefit of current and future generations.”
The presidential proclamation signed by Biden states, "Protection of the Avi Kwa Ame area will preserve its diverse array of natural and scientific resources, ensuring that the cultural, prehistoric, historic and scientific values of this area endure for the benefit of all Americans. The living landscape holds sites of historical, traditional, cultural and spiritual significance; is the setting of the creation story of multiple Tribal Nations; and is inextricably intertwined with the sacred significance of Avi Kwa Ame."
According to an Associated Press report, "The Nevada site spans more than 500,000 acres (200,000 hectares) and includes Spirit Mountain, a peak northwest of Laughlin called Avi Kwa Ame (ah-VEE’ kwa-meh) by the Fort Mojave Tribe and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The rugged landscape near the Arizona and California state lines is home to bighorn sheep, desert tortoises and a large concentration of Joshua trees, some of which are more than 900 years old."
Haaland visited the Avi Kwa Ame area in September 2022, where she met with Tribal leaders and hosted a round table with the local community to discuss the need to conserve the ecological, cultural, historical and natural integrity of the landscape for present and future generations, the news release said.
In November 2022, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management Laura Daniel-Davis and BLM Director Tracy Stone-Manning held a public meeting in Laughlin, Nev., to hear from the community about the proposal to designate existing public lands as a national monument, the release reported. The Interior Department also provided opportunities for federally recognized Tribes with historic or cultural ties to Avi Kwa Ame to provide input on the monument proposal.
