Biden names two California national monuments after wildfires prevent in-person ceremony Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday declared two California sites – a stretch of desert important to indigenous tribes and a dormant volcano – national monuments, extending his record of preserving more American lands than any predecessor.

He had intended to announce the move to California last week, but wildfires raging around Los Angeles canceled his visit to the Coachella Valley, near one of the new monuments. Instead, he made the announcement at the White House on Tuesday night.

The new Chuckwalla National Monument in the Southern California desert preserves more than 624,000 acres south of Joshua Tree National Park. The area is significant for the Cahuilla, Chemehuevi, Mojave, Quechan and Serrano tribes.

The Sattitla Highlands National Monument in Northern California protects 224,000 acres where the dormant Medicine Lake volcano carved craters and lava tubes. The area is sacred to the Pit and Modoc River tribes.

“Our natural wonders are the heart and soul of our nation,” Biden told the audience in the East Room of the White House.

With a national monument designation, presidents can preserve a site because of its historical or cultural significance, but a future president can revoke that order. Biden leaves office next week when President-elect Donald Trump is inaugurated.

The White House said last week that Biden has preserved more than 670 million acres of American land and water as president, the most of any president.

Biden set a goal at the start of his presidency to protect at least 30% of US land and water by 2030. The administration said in April that progress was on track to meet the goal.

However, Trump has pledged to promote fossil fuel drilling, and environmental groups have said they expect him to seek to undo many of Biden’s conservation efforts.

Last week, Biden protected almost every American coastline from offshore oil and gas development.