JUST ANNOUNCED: President Biden Announces 2 National monuments!

Franklin Mountains
Photo: Mark Clune

JUST THIS MORNING, President Biden announced the designation of both Avi Kwa Ame and Castner Range National Monuments. Together these actions  protect over 500,000 acres important to surrounding communities, recreation and climate change. As supporters of both of  these campaigns, we are thrilled and thankful to the Administration and congratulate grantees of The Conservation Alliance (TCA)  and member companies who have worked tirelessly to protect these special places. Read on to learn more!

Nearly 7000 Acres Protected in Texas

As one of TCA’s priority campaigns, we are excited to share that Castner Range has officially been protected as a national monument! Located in El Paso, Texas between majority-Latino city neighborhoods and Franklin Mountains State Park, this new monument protects 6600 acres of mountainous terrain.This designation represents years of hard work led by communities to make sure this land is protected for its cultural, ecological, and  historical values. The Castner Range monument designation symbolizes the importance of land preservation for local communities and outdoor recreation.

Castner Range is a priority campaign for TCA, meaning that we have dedicated extra resources and support that matches  the urgent need to protect this landscape. We amplified the importance of this campaign by using the business voice to write op-eds like this and also contributed $135,000 to help fund the work of Nuestra Tierra, Monumental Shift, and Frontera Land Alliance. We owe a big thank you to these groups for their hard work, the Administration for recognizing the need to protect this area, and our member companies who unite around conservation and protecting outdoor spaces.

Learn more: https://www.conservationalliance.com/priority-campaign/castner-range/

Ancestral Lands Protected in Nevada

Photo: Alan O’Neill

We are excited to announce that Avi Kwa Ame now has permanent protections under the Antiquities Act as a brand new national monument! Located between the Lake Mead National Recreation Area and the Nevada/California border, Avi Kwa Ame, the Mojave name for Spirit Mountain, is now Nevada’s 4th national monument. Covering over 500,000 acres in southern Nevada, this monument designation protects land that is sacred to 12 tribes. In addition, this area is home to rare and  threatened species, and provides countless opportunities for outdoor recreation.

Over the last two years, TCA has helped to fund the work of Monumental Shift, a network of ethnically and racially diverse groups working to transform the conservation space to better represent its communities and honor natural and sacred places that are important to its people. Thanks to Monumental Shift’s hard work for getting Avi Kwa Ame across the finish line.

We celebrate these successes and look forward to future conservation opportunities.