Avi Kwa Ame National Monument

The area protected includes portions of the Newberry Mountains, Eldorado Mountains, New York Mountains, McCullough Range, and Dead Mountains, as well as most of the Piute Valley and Eldorado Valley which separate them. The monument surrounds excluded areas around the towns of Searchlight, Palm Gardens and Cal-Nev-Ari, Nevada.{{Cite web |date=March 2023 |title=Avi Kwa Ame National Monument boundary map |url=https://www.blm.gov/sites/default/files/docs/2023-03/Nevada_avi-kwa-ame-boundary-map.pdf |publisher=Bureau of Land Management |access-date=March 22, 2023 |archive-date=March 22, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230322020814/https://www.blm.gov/sites/default/files/docs/2023-03/Nevada_avi-kwa-ame-boundary-map.pdf |url-status=live }}

The monument includes all of the Spirit Mountain, South McCullough, Wee Thump Joshua Tree, Nellis Wash, and Bridge Canyon wilderness areas and a portion of Ireteba Peaks Wilderness.{{Cite news |last1=Davenport |first1=Coral |last2=Friedman |first2=Lisa |last3=Flavelle |first3=Christopher |date=November 30, 2022 |title=Biden Promises Protections for Nevada's Spirit Mountain |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/30/climate/biden-nevada-avi-kwa-ame.html |access-date=2022-12-01 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=December 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221201224329/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/30/climate/biden-nevada-avi-kwa-ame.html |url-status=live }} It borders Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Mojave Trails National Monument, Mojave National Preserve, and Castle Mountains National Monument thereby creating a much larger contiguously protected area of the Mojave Desert.{{Cite web |date=August 28, 2022 |title=Mojave Desert tribes aim to turn a sacred mountain into a national monument |url=https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2022-08-28/desert-tribes-seek-monument-status-for-sacred-mountain |access-date=2023-03-23 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US |archive-date=March 23, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230323030044/https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2022-08-28/desert-tribes-seek-monument-status-for-sacred-mountain |url-status=live }}

The Hiko Springs and Grapevine Canyon areas have Native American petroglyphs, some of which have already been worn off.{{Cite web |date=March 12, 2023 |title=Where the spirit dwells: The wonders of Avi Kwa Ame — PHOTOS |url=https://www.reviewjournal.com/rj-magazine/where-the-spirit-dwells-the-wonders-of-avi-kwa-ame-photos-2732179/ |access-date=2023-03-13 |website=Las Vegas Review-Journal |language=en-US |archive-date=March 13, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230313150401/https://www.reviewjournal.com/rj-magazine/where-the-spirit-dwells-the-wonders-of-avi-kwa-ame-photos-2732179/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |title=Near the Colorado River, a landscape held sacred by tribes gets national protection |url=https://thenevadaindependent.com/article/near-the-colorado-river-a-landscape-held-sacred-by-tribes-gets-national-protection |access-date=2023-04-03 |website=The Nevada Independent |language=en}}

The Mojave Road section of the Old Spanish National Historic Trail passes through the monument.

File:Joshua Tree Forest - panoramio - Zzyzx.jpg]]

{{See also|Mojave Desert#Ecology}}

Significant species that live in the desert include desert bighorn sheep, desert tortoise, and golden eagles.{{Cite news |date=November 30, 2022 |title=Biden commits to honoring tribes by protecting public lands in Nevada |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2022/11/30/avi-kwa-ame-monument-nevada/ |access-date=2022-11-30 |newspaper=Washington Post |language=en |archive-date=November 30, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221130150825/https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2022/11/30/avi-kwa-ame-monument-nevada/ |url-status=live }} The Mojave Desert has more than 200 endemic plants. A significant habitat of the Joshua Tree is in the western portion of the monument. The majority of the area (330,000 acres) was designated as the Piute/Eldorado Area of Critical Environmental Concern in 1996 to conserve critical habitat for the threatened desert tortoise.{{Cite web |date=August 17, 2022 |title=Management plan finalized for Piute-Eldorado area |url=https://mohavedailynews.com/news/142038/management-plan-finalized-for-piute-eldorado-area/ |access-date=2022-12-01 |website=Mohave Daily News |language=en |archive-date=December 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221201224332/https://mohavedailynews.com/news/142038/management-plan-finalized-for-piute-eldorado-area/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |title=Piute-Eldorado Valley Area of Critical Environmental Concern |url=https://www.blm.gov/programs/planning-and-nepa/plans-development/nevada/piute-eldorado-acec |access-date=2022-12-01 |website=Bureau of Land Management |archive-date=December 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221201224330/https://www.blm.gov/programs/planning-and-nepa/plans-development/nevada/piute-eldorado-acec |url-status=live }}

The Fort Mojave Indian Tribe has long advocated for the protection of the region's natural and cultural resources. Spirit Mountain was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999. After a proposed large-scale wind farm faced opposition from local Searchlight residents, residents and tribal groups began a push for national monument designation in 2020. The Clark County Commission voted unanimously to support the monument. In February 2022 U.S. Representative Dina Titus introduced a bill that would have designated Avi Kwa Ame as a national monument.{{Cite web |last=Solis |first=Jeniffer |date=February 17, 2022 |title=Titus introduces bill establishing Avi Kwa Ame as national monument |url=https://www.nevadacurrent.com/2022/02/17/titus-introduces-bill-establishing-avi-kwa-ame-as-national-monument/ |access-date=2022-12-01 |website=Nevada Current |language=en-US |archive-date=December 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221201061829/https://www.nevadacurrent.com/2022/02/17/titus-introduces-bill-establishing-avi-kwa-ame-as-national-monument/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |date=February 15, 2022 |title=H.R.6751 – Avi Kwa Ame National Monument Establishment Act of 2022 |url=https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/6751/text?r=1&s=1 |access-date=December 1, 2022 |website=Congress.gov |archive-date=December 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221201061829/https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/6751/text?r=1&s=1 |url-status=live }} Interior Secretary Deb Haaland visited the area to discuss the region's significance in September,{{Cite web |date=September 8, 2022 |title=Interior Secretary visits possible Avi Kwa Ame national monument landscape in Nevada {{!}} The Wilderness Society |url=https://www.wilderness.org/articles/press-release/interior-secretary-visits-possible-avi-kwa-ame-national-monument-landscape-nevada |access-date=2022-12-01 |website=www.wilderness.org |language=en |archive-date=December 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221201061838/https://www.wilderness.org/articles/press-release/interior-secretary-visits-possible-avi-kwa-ame-national-monument-landscape-nevada |url-status=live }} before BLM director Tracy Stone-Manning hosted a town hall meeting in November. On November 30, 2022, President Biden announced to attendees of the White House Tribal Nations Summit that he was committed to protecting the area around Spirit Mountain.

Though most of the proposed boundaries already excluded wind energy, the monument designation prevents the development of new wind and solar power, putting land conservation in contention with reducing emissions.{{Cite web |last=Streater |first=Scott |date=February 6, 2023 |title=Nev. monument will shield sacred tribal land — from renewables |url=https://www.eenews.net/articles/nev-monument-will-shield-sacred-tribal-land-from-renewables/ |access-date=2023-02-15 |website=E&E News |language=en-US |archive-date=February 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230215055854/https://www.eenews.net/articles/nev-monument-will-shield-sacred-tribal-land-from-renewables/ |url-status=live }} Previous proposals for a wind farm had been blocked by the Bureau of Land Management, and the creation of the monument ended speculation for the revised 308 MW Kulning Wind Energy Project.{{Cite web |title=Antiquities Act Litigation Threatens Nevada Monument Proposal |url=https://news.bloomberglaw.com/environment-and-energy/antiquities-act-litigation-threatens-nevada-monument-proposal |access-date=2023-01-05 |website=news.bloomberglaw.com |language=en |archive-date=January 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230105180549/https://news.bloomberglaw.com/environment-and-energy/antiquities-act-litigation-threatens-nevada-monument-proposal |url-status=live }} Solar power developers requested that an area near Laughlin, Nevada, be excluded for the proposed 2,500 acre, 400 MW Angora Solar Project, which would have transmission to the former Mohave Power Station,{{Cite web |last=McMilling |first=Bill |date=December 1, 2022 |title=Biden plans designation for Avi Kwa Ame |url=https://mohavedailynews.com/news/144235/thu-monumental-decision-biden-plans-designation-for-avi-kwa-ame/ |access-date=2022-12-01 |website=Mohave Daily News |language=en |archive-date=December 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221201224332/https://mohavedailynews.com/news/144235/thu-monumental-decision-biden-plans-designation-for-avi-kwa-ame/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |date=November 30, 2022 |title=Avi Kwa Ame to be Nevada's next national monument, Biden promises |url=https://www.reviewjournal.com/local/local-nevada/avi-kwa-ame-to-be-nevadas-next-national-monument-biden-promises-2685106/ |access-date=2022-12-01 |website=Las Vegas Review-Journal |language=en-US |archive-date=December 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221201224333/https://www.reviewjournal.com/local/local-nevada/avi-kwa-ame-to-be-nevadas-next-national-monument-biden-promises-2685106/ |url-status=live }} but this carve-out was not included in the final monument designation.{{Cite web |last=Streater |first=Scott |date=March 21, 2023 |title=Biden to create national monuments in Nevada and Texas |url=https://www.eenews.net/articles/biden-to-create-national-monuments-in-nevada-and-texas/ |access-date=2023-03-21 |website=E&E News |language=en-US |archive-date=March 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230321175806/https://www.eenews.net/articles/biden-to-create-national-monuments-in-nevada-and-texas/ |url-status=live }}

File:Newberry Mountains from west 1.jpg from the Eldorado Valley, with Spirit Mountain at center]]

President Biden announced the creation of the monument at the White House Conservation in Action Summit with tribal leaders on March 21, 2023, along with Castner Range National Monument.{{Cite web |date=March 21, 2023 |title=FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration Takes New Action to Conserve and Restore America's Lands and Waters |url=https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/03/21/fact-sheet-biden-harris-administration-takes-new-action-to-conserve-and-restore-americas-lands-and-waters/ |access-date=2023-03-21 |website=The White House |language=en-US |archive-date=March 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230321142824/https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/03/21/fact-sheet-biden-harris-administration-takes-new-action-to-conserve-and-restore-americas-lands-and-waters/ |url-status=live }} There was a delay of more than three months in designating the monument after President Biden said he would do so, in part due to difficulties in scheduling an event in Nevada to make the proclamation. Local reporters expected Biden to make the designation on a trip to Las Vegas on March 14,{{Cite web |title=Biden to Designate Avi Kwa Ame on Las Vegas Trip |url=https://thenevadaindependent.com/article/sources-biden-plans-to-designate-avi-kwa-ame-on-las-vegas-trip |access-date=2023-03-13 |website=The Nevada Independent |language=en |archive-date=March 13, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230313150400/https://thenevadaindependent.com/article/sources-biden-plans-to-designate-avi-kwa-ame-on-las-vegas-trip |url-status=live }} but plans changed when members of Congress were unable to attend.{{Cite news |title=Analysis {{!}} Scheduling woes delay Biden's largest land conservation act |language=en-US |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/03/10/scheduling-woes-delay-biden-largest-land-conservation-act/ |access-date=2023-03-13 |issn=0190-8286 |archive-date=March 11, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230311235110/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/03/10/scheduling-woes-delay-biden-largest-land-conservation-act/ |url-status=live }} Part of President Biden's 30 by 30 conservation goals, Avi Kwa Ame was his largest act of land protection, surpassing Camp Hale—Continental Divide National Monument, until he designated Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni – Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument in August. The final monument designation was slightly larger than the approximately {{Cvt|450000|acres|km2}} proposed by advocates, as it also included three wilderness areas already protected within Lake Mead National Recreation Area, including Spirit Mountain itself.{{Cite web |last=Streater |first=Scott |title=Advocates praise new monuments, but work remains on access |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2023/03/21/biden-new-national-monuments-00088079 |access-date=2023-03-25 |website=POLITICO |language=en |archive-date=March 25, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230325194502/https://www.politico.com/news/2023/03/21/biden-new-national-monuments-00088079 |url-status=live }}

The monument is managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the National Park Service; it is not a unit of Park Service, as its portion overlaps Lake Mead National Recreation Area. Small areas are owned by the Bureau of Reclamation and will be transferred to the BLM.

In recognition of Indigenous influence on the area, the monument will have an advisory committee with a majority of members belonging to Tribal Nations, and the Tribal Nations will be involved in co-stewardship of the monument similar to the management of Bears Ears National Monument.

• List of national monuments of the United States

{{reflist}}

• [https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2023/03/21/a-proclamation-on-establishment-of-the-avi-kwa-ame-national-monument/ White House establishment proclamation – March 21, 2023]
• [https://www.blm.gov/avi-kwa-ame-national-monument Avi Kwa Ame National Monument] – Bureau of Land Management
• [https://www.blm.gov/sites/default/files/docs/2023-03/Nevada_avi-kwa-ame-boundary-map.pdf Monument boundary map]
• [https://honorspiritmountain.org/ Honor Avi Kwa Ame]
• {{Cite web |date=December 1, 2022 |title=These Sacred Native Lands in Southern Nevada Could Become the U.S.'s Newest National Monument |url=https://www.cntraveler.com/story/avi-kwa-ame-national-monument |access-date=2022-12-18 |website=Condé Nast Traveler |language=en-US}}

{{Protected areas of Nevada}}

{{National Monuments of the United States}}

Category:Bureau of Land Management national monuments

Category:Bureau of Land Management national monuments in Nevada

Category:Protected areas of Clark County, Nevada

Category:Protected areas of the Mojave Desert

Category:Protected areas established in 2023

Category:2023 establishments in Nevada

Category:Presidency of Joe Biden