`[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 11 (Friday, January 17, 2025)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 6715-6725]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-01441]



[[Page 6713]]

Vol. 90

Friday,

No. 11

January 17, 2025

Part X





The President





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Proclamation 10881--Establishment of the Chuckwalla National Monument



Proclamation 10882--Establishment of the S[aacute]tt[iacute]tla 
Highlands National Monument
 
 
                         Presidential Documents 
 
 

  Federal Register / Vol. 90 , No. 11 / Friday, January 17, 2025 / 
Presidential Documents  

 ___________________________________________________________________

 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 6715]]

                Proclamation 10881 of January 14, 2025

                
Establishment of the Chuckwalla National Monument

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                In southeastern California, where the Mojave and 
                Colorado Deserts intersect, ancient trails weave 
                through a land of canyon-carved mountain ranges bound 
                together by radiating alluvial bajadas and dark 
                tendrils of dry wash woodlands. Sharing a name with the 
                wide-bodied lizard that is commonly found here and 
                derived from the Cahuilla word 
                ``[ccaron][aacute]xwal,'' the Chuckwalla region is a 
                place of wonder that lies within the traditional 
                homelands of the Iviatim (Cahuilla), N[uuml]w[uuml] 
                (Chemehuevi), Pipa Aha Macav (Mojave), Kwats[aacute]an 
                (Quechan), Maara'yam and Marringayam (Serrano), and 
                other Indigenous peoples. It is imbued with religious, 
                spiritual, historic, and cultural significance for 
                Tribal Nations that trace their origins to these lands. 
                The area contains an abundance of artifacts attesting 
                to its connection to diverse human communities over 
                thousands of years. The region's mosaic of habitats is 
                also home to a remarkable array of plant and animal 
                species. The dramatic contortions of its mountain 
                ranges embody a fundamental story about the shaping of 
                our world that scientists are still learning to 
                decipher. The cultural, geologic, and ecological 
                resources on Federal lands in the Chuckwalla region 
                will continue to inspire and fascinate people and 
                provide a scientific research trove for generations to 
                come.

                The Chuckwalla region comprises five geographically 
                discrete areas located between Joshua Tree National 
                Park and the Palen/McCoy Wilderness to the north, 
                California State Route 78 to the east, the Chocolate 
                Mountain Aerial Gunnery Range to the south, and the 
                western boundary of the Mecca Hills Wilderness to the 
                west. Woven together by the physical threads of 
                Indigenous trails that radiate outward connecting 
                peoples and places throughout the Southwest, the region 
                carries significant cultural and sacred meaning for 
                many Tribal Nations. The southern area is a vast and 
                intact expanse of austere, beautiful mountain ranges 
                and desert valleys stretching from the Mecca Hills and 
                Orocopia Mountains in the northwest, to the Mule and 
                Palo Verde Mountains in the northeast, and to the 
                mesquite-studded draws of the Milpitas Wash in the 
                southeast. The other four areas, which lie in the 
                transition zone between the Mojave and Colorado 
                deserts, are located at the base of the Cottonwood, 
                Eagle, Coxcomb, and Palen Mountains.

                The imprints of generations of Indigenous peoples are 
                found throughout the region in the trails, tools, 
                habitation sites, and spectacular petroglyphs and 
                pictographs they left behind. The Chuckwalla region has 
                also been marked by the passage of people on the major 
                prehistoric and historic travel corridors that 
                connected the region to the Pacific coast and the 
                interior southwest. While only a small fraction of the 
                region has been formally inventoried, myriad cultural 
                resources have been documented, and there are likely 
                similar historic sites and objects yet to be 
                discovered. A few sites are well-known and easily 
                accessible to the public; many others are concealed in 
                labyrinths of rugged canyons and have not yet been 
                formally studied.

                Trails within the area helped to link important 
                resources and people across the Indigenous homelands of 
                the Chuckwalla region. For centuries, they facilitated 
                trade and cultural exchange between peoples throughout 
                the

[[Page 6716]]

                Southwest. Weaving through canyons, the trails 
                connected indispensable water and other resources 
                throughout the area. They were, and are, essential to 
                the people who trace their origins to these lands, and 
                provide a sense of connection between generations and 
                between the physical and spiritual worlds.

                In some places, the footfalls of past generations have 
                etched these trails into the region's surface, wearing 
                a clear path into desert pavement. Ceramics and lithic 
                scatter are also commonly found along trail routes 
                within the Chuckwalla region. The endless shifting of 
                sand and alluvium have likely obscured artifacts in 
                some locations. A prehistoric travel route ran through 
                the core of the northern area between the Eagle and 
                Coxcomb Mountains, connecting the Pinto Basin, where 
                some of California's oldest artifacts have been found, 
                and the Chuckwalla Valley. The relatively narrow gap 
                between the Eagle and Coxcomb Mountains traversed by 
                the corridor also creates the conditions for flash 
                floods; as a result, artifacts are likely to be found 
                below the surface of the wash rather than on its 
                surface.

                At least two trails that traverse the Chuckwalla region 
                are sacred to Tribal Nations and bind their members to 
                the land and to generations past. These trails, of 
                which physical traces remain, are both ancient and 
                modern, tangible places and passages that Tribes and 
                Indigenous peoples evoke and visit through songs and 
                dreams. Two versions of the Salt Song Trail pass 
                through the region, connecting it to Tribal communities 
                and sacred sites throughout the Southwest physically 
                and through songs describing corridors, viewsheds, and 
                the related geography and resources. While the Salt 
                Song Trail can be traveled by foot, traditional singers 
                also travel this trail by voice through songs passed 
                down across generations and that Tribes and Indigenous 
                peoples believe assist the transport of the spirits of 
                the recently deceased.

                The Xam Kwatchan Trail, which parallels the Colorado 
                River in the vicinity of the Mule and Palo Verde 
                Mountains along the eastern edge of the southern area, 
                is maintained by the Quechan people and recognized by 
                many other Tribes of the Lower Colorado River. Portions 
                of the Xam Kwatchan Trail are still visible and may be 
                traveled physically as the trail weaves through the 
                area and links together three sacred peaks of the 
                Southwest: Avi Kwa Ame to the north of the Chuckwalla 
                region near Lake Mead, Palo Verde Peak within the 
                southern Chuckwalla region and overlooking the Colorado 
                River, and Pilot Knob to the south of the Chuckwalla 
                region near Yuma, Arizona. It is a belief of the 
                Quechan people that they also travel this trail through 
                dreams to transport the living and deceased, and to tie 
                them to these lands and to their origin at Avi Kwa Ame. 
                The Palo Verde and Mule Mountains encompass sites of 
                particular significance along this trail. The eastern 
                side of the Palo Verde Mountains is particularly dense 
                with evidence of human habitation, including trails, 
                camp spots, and ceremonial fire hearths.

                The Chuckwalla region has no perennial streams or 
                lakes, but hidden within the southern area's mountain 
                ranges are springs and natural seasonal water 
                catchments (often referred to as tanks). Knowledge of 
                these water sources has allowed Indigenous people to 
                survive within this arid environment for thousands of 
                years. The locations surrounding these springs and 
                tanks are replete with artifacts, including stone 
                tools, ceramics, remnants of habitations, and a 
                dazzling array of petroglyphs and pictographs. In some 
                places, the patina of naturally created desert pavement 
                has been scraped away to form circles and images known 
                as geoglyphs.

                In a wide canyon at the heart of the Chuckwalla 
                Mountains lies Corn Springs, a well-known cultural 
                site. Amid the mountain range's rugged peaks and dry 
                washes, the oasis at Corn Springs, which supports a 
                stand of more than 60 California fan palms, has long 
                been a beacon to the area's human occupants. Corn 
                Springs contains extensive petroglyphs encompassing a 
                diverse array of elements and representing 
                contributions by many people over thousands of years. 
                These petroglyphs, which are listed on the National

[[Page 6717]]

                Register of Historic Places, are carved into flat 
                planes on the golden rocks found near Corn Springs.

                Jutting from the desert floor north of Corn Springs, in 
                an area just south of the community of Desert Center, 
                sits Alligator Rock. A salient ridge containing dikes 
                of aplite, Alligator Rock was both a milestone on the 
                major Indigenous travel and trade route that passed 
                through Chuckwalla Valley and an important prehistoric 
                source of lithic materials. Flakes and tools crafted 
                from the area's distinctive speckled stone have been 
                documented in sites throughout Chuckwalla Valley.

                In the eastern area, northeast of Alligator Rock and 
                Corn Springs and north of the Little Chuckwalla 
                Mountain Wilderness, Ford Dry Lake is now a sparsely 
                vegetated playa in the Chuckwalla Valley at the base of 
                the Palen and McCoy Mountains. Dense cultural sites 
                have been documented along the lake's ancient 
                shorelines, attesting to its use by generations of 
                Indigenous peoples. Artifacts uncovered here include a 
                variety of stone tools, ceramics, and other evidence of 
                Indigenous habitation sites.

                While seemingly inhospitable to humans, the Chuckwalla 
                region has provided sustenance and material resources 
                to the Indigenous peoples who have inhabited and 
                traversed it for generations. Many of the region's 
                native plants were gathered for food, including 
                mesquite and ironwood seeds, wild grasses, and cacti. 
                Mesquite, which thrives in the dry washes of the 
                southern area between the Chocolate and Palo Verde 
                Mountains, was a particularly important source of 
                sustenance. Large quantities of the beans were 
                collected in the summer and stored for use throughout 
                the year. In 1972, a large ceramic olla (an earthenware 
                vessel) containing mesquite beans was discovered in a 
                rock shelter in the canyon-striated Mecca Hills of the 
                far western corner of the southern area.

                By the mid-1800s, the Chuckwalla region had caught the 
                attention of non-Indigenous Americans seeking wealth in 
                the underbelly of its mountains. In the 1860s, the Mule 
                Mountains--near the California-Arizona border--were the 
                site of one of the first discoveries of gold in 
                Riverside County. Two decades later, the largest gold 
                rush in Riverside County's history occurred when gold 
                and silver were discovered in the Chuckwalla Mountains. 
                Relics of historic mines, including shafts, trenches, 
                equipment, and remnants of buildings, are present 
                throughout the region's mountain ranges. A mining 
                shaft, conveyor, and loading dock associated with the 
                Model Mine, which operated around the turn of the last 
                century, are located in the western foothills of the 
                Chuckwalla Mountains.

                In 1862, as gold seekers spread throughout the region, 
                a miner named William Bradshaw sought to develop a 
                route to connect the Coachella Valley with expanding 
                mines on the east side of the Colorado River. A 
                Cahuilla leader and another Indigenous trail runner 
                provided Bradshaw with a map of existing Indigenous 
                routes linking springs and tanks along the southern 
                edge of the Orocopia, Chuckwalla, and Little Chuckwalla 
                Mountains. He used the knowledge shared with him of 
                these existing Indigenous trails to identify what 
                became known as the ``Bradshaw Trail,'' an overland 
                route that traverses the Chuckwalla Bench through the 
                heart of the southern area. Some of the springs and 
                tanks, which had long been used by Indigenous peoples, 
                became stagecoach stations associated with the Bradshaw 
                Trail. Intrepid visitors can still drive the unpaved 
                Bradshaw Trail, which the Bureau of Land Management 
                (BLM) designated as a National Backcountry Byway in 
                1992.

                In 1942, shortly after the United States entered World 
                War II, the Department of the Army established a 
                presence in the Chuckwalla region, reminders of which 
                can still be seen across the terrain. In March of 1942, 
                Major General George Patton selected a large swath of 
                desert in California and Nevada, including a 
                substantial amount of land in the Chuckwalla Valley, 
                for a Desert Training Center to prepare United States 
                Army units for desert combat. By the end of World War 
                II, over a million soldiers had been trained at the 
                facility. Small unit training exercises were held in 
                Chuckwalla

[[Page 6718]]

                Valley, which the Army believed provided the best 
                approximation of terrain they might face in parts of 
                North Africa. The scars of tank tracks across the 
                southern area's desert pavement can still be seen 
                today, along with berms, trenches, and foxholes.

                The Chuckwalla region includes the footprint of Camp 
                Young, the Desert Training Center's first camp and its 
                administrative core. Camp Young was primarily located 
                south of present-day Joshua Tree National Park and 
                north of Interstate 10 in the western area. While none 
                remain standing, Camp Young boasted almost 100 
                administrative buildings, two hospitals, 50 warehouses, 
                a theater, an officers' club, and a post office. Traces 
                of the soldiers' lives at Camp Young can still be seen 
                here, including rock-lined walkways and remnants of 
                concrete foundations.

                During his tenure at the Desert Training Center, 
                General Patton lived at Camp Young but was in the field 
                on a daily basis, including to review small unit 
                training exercises in the Chuckwalla Valley. He would 
                often shout orders into a radio while observing tank 
                maneuvers from a hill overlooking the valley between 
                the Orocopia and Chuckwalla Mountains, in the center of 
                the Chuckwalla region's southern area. The road 
                bulldozed for Patton's use to the top of this hill, 
                known as ``The King's Throne,'' remains clearly 
                visible.

                Against this backdrop of human history, the Chuckwalla 
                region's many and varied plant and animal inhabitants 
                have continued to persevere in the harsh desert 
                environment. The region provides a refuge for more than 
                50 rare plants and animals, as well as 21 vulnerable 
                vegetation communities. The diversity of biota has 
                attracted numerous scientists over many decades who 
                have conducted research into topics as varied as 
                testing translocation methods for bighorn sheep, 
                studying ant colony forming behavior, and documenting 
                the demographic patterns of the Orocopia sage, a shrub 
                with delicate lavender flowers that is only known to 
                grow in the Mecca Hills and Orocopia and Chocolate 
                Mountains.

                The broad bajadas of the southern area radiate out from 
                a series of small mountain ranges, whose sinuous 
                canyons and ragged peaks provide habitat to a variety 
                of species. The washes and sandy slopes of the Orocopia 
                Mountains are home to Orocopia sage. The Mecca aster is 
                endemic to only a small area, with more than half of 
                its known occurrences located in the Mecca Hills. 
                Mountain areas in the Chuckwalla region are also the 
                only known locations of the recently described 
                Chuckwalla cholla, a relatively low-lying cactus with 
                reddish flowers.

                Desert bighorn sheep, a sensitive species with 
                declining numbers, live year-round on the craggy slopes 
                of the Orocopia and Chuckwalla Mountains and are 
                occasionally glimpsed in the Palo Verde and Little 
                Chuckwalla Mountains. The broad, sandy washes that 
                connect the mountains--unbroken by paved roads or large 
                developments--provide the habitat connectivity 
                necessary to preserve genetic diversity among bighorn 
                sheep populations.

                The region's expanse of gently sloping shrubby terrain 
                is also vital to the survival of the threatened 
                Agassiz's desert tortoise, encompassing key components 
                of an essential corridor connecting the tortoise's 
                Chuckwalla and Chemehuevi populations. Much of the 
                region is critical habitat for this charismatic desert 
                dweller.

                Located in the southern area of the Chuckwalla region, 
                the Chuckwalla Bench is an elevated area of alluvial 
                fans that provided a setting for extensive study and 
                monitoring of desert tortoises for decades. It is also 
                home to over 150 native plant species. The specific 
                species present change with elevation as the bench's 
                slopes climb to an 80,000-acre expanse that rises to 
                approximately 2,000 feet in elevation, resulting in an 
                environment that is notably cooler and wetter than is 
                typical for the Sonoran Desert. At the higher 
                elevations, Mojave yucca and cholla become increasingly 
                common. The Munz's cholla, a species endemic to the 
                Chuckwalla Bench whose spiny, branching arms often 
                reach a height of six feet, grows here.

[[Page 6719]]

                In part because of the relative availability of forage 
                and water, the Chuckwalla Bench is included in the 
                United States Fish and Wildlife Service's primary area 
                of interest for Sonoran Desert pronghorn reintroduction 
                in California. In 1941, around the time that the United 
                States Army began desert training in the area, the 
                endangered Sonoran Desert pronghorn was last observed 
                in the Colorado Desert in the vicinity of Salt Creek 
                Wash, which runs between the Orocopia and Chocolate 
                Mountains.

                Dry washes in the Chuckwalla region are threaded with 
                populations of desert trees including ironwood, blue 
                palo verde, smoketree, and mesquite. These are known as 
                microphyll woodlands, and they provide migration 
                corridors for desert wildlife, as well as crucial 
                habitat for migratory birds. Milpitas Wash, located 
                south of the Palo Verde Mountains in the southern area 
                near the Arizona border, is one of the largest 
                remaining microphyll woodlands in the Colorado Desert. 
                It is identified as a component of the National Audubon 
                Society's Colorado Desert Microphyll Woodlands 
                Important Bird Area. Old-growth blue palo verde trees 
                in Milpitas Wash provide nesting cavities for an 
                important population of Gila woodpeckers, which are 
                listed as endangered under the California Endangered 
                Species Act. Rare long-eared owls, Crissal thrashers, 
                and black-tailed gnatcatchers also nest in Milpitas 
                Wash.

                Dense pockets of palo verde microphyll woodland occur 
                in the northeast portion of the southern Chuckwalla 
                region and are reported to have the highest winter bird 
                densities in the California Desert. Sand dunes have 
                dammed several small washes in the area, creating 
                relatively wet conditions that are conducive to dense 
                vegetative growth. These sand dunes in Chuckwalla 
                Valley are fed by aeolian (windblown) sand transport 
                corridors. In addition to the rich cultural sites 
                associated with Ford Dry Lake, the portion of the 
                Chuckwalla Valley in the eastern Chuckwalla region 
                protects part of these sand transport corridors. The 
                dunes in this area also provide habitat for the rare 
                Mojave fringe-toed lizard.

                Nightfall reveals another dimension of the Chuckwalla 
                region. Kit foxes and sensitive species such as 
                burrowing owls and elf owls emerge from dens, while a 
                variety of rare bats including the California leaf-
                nosed bat, the western mastiff bat, and the western 
                yellow bat dart through the desert sky. Mountain lions 
                are also known to prowl the Chuckwalla region at night. 
                A population of mountain lions in southern California 
                and the central coast of California, which includes 
                those in the Chuckwalla region, is currently a 
                candidate species under consideration for listing under 
                the California Endangered Species Act.

                The Chuckwalla region encompasses striking geologic 
                diversity, which both underpins the rich ecological and 
                cultural values and is itself the focus of extensive 
                research. In the far western reach of the southern area 
                of this region, the Mecca Hills, shaped by the unquiet 
                presence of the San Andreas Fault, attract not only 
                hikers eager to explore their intricate canyons but a 
                long line of geologists seeking to better understand 
                fault dynamics. There is an exposure of Pliocene-
                Pleistocene terrestrial sedimentary rocks along the 
                fault, and recent uplift and erosion have allowed the 
                opportunity for its detailed analysis. Researchers have 
                analyzed the Painted Canyon Fault, which lies within 
                the San Andreas strike-slip fault zone in the Mecca 
                Hills, to better understand tectonic processes along 
                faults as far away as Denmark.

                Just to the east of the Mecca Hills, the Orocopia 
                Mountains have been the site of extensive study of the 
                geologic mechanisms that shape the earth, including 
                deposition, metamorphism, uplift, and exposure. In the 
                late 1960s and early 1970s, the Orocopia Mountains were 
                the site of field training for the Apollo 13 and 15 
                crews, preparing them to observe and document lunar 
                geology.

                In 1986, scientists documented five new species of 
                mollusks from the Eocene epoch that were found in 
                samples taken from the Orocopia Mountains, which helped 
                clarify scientists' understanding of the timing of the 
                westward

[[Page 6720]]

                migration of Eurasian mollusk species during the early 
                Eocene and late Paleocene epochs. In the Palo Verde 
                Mountains, at the southeastern edge of the Chuckwalla 
                region, outcroppings of the Bouse Formation are helping 
                scientists unlock mysteries around the formation of the 
                Colorado River.

                Protecting the Chuckwalla region will preserve an 
                important spiritual, cultural, prehistoric, and 
                historic legacy and protect places inscribed with 
                history for future generations; maintain a diverse 
                array of natural and scientific resources; and help 
                ensure that the prehistoric, historic, and scientific 
                resources and values of the region endure for the 
                benefit of all Americans. As described above, the 
                region contains numerous objects of historic and 
                scientific interest, and it provides exceptional 
                outdoor recreational opportunities, including hiking, 
                camping, backpacking, rockhounding, sightseeing, nature 
                study, birding, horseback riding, hunting, climbing, 
                mountain biking, and motorized recreation, all of which 
                are important to the travel- and tourism-based economy 
                of the region.

                WHEREAS, section 320301 of title 54, United States Code 
                (the ``Antiquities Act''), authorizes the President, in 
                the President's discretion, to declare by public 
                proclamation historic landmarks, historic and 
                prehistoric structures, and other objects of historic 
                or scientific interest that are situated upon the lands 
                owned or controlled by the Federal Government to be 
                national monuments, and to reserve as a part thereof 
                parcels of land, the limits of which shall be confined 
                to the smallest area compatible with the proper care 
                and management of the objects to be protected; and

                WHEREAS, the Chuckwalla region has been profoundly 
                sacred to Tribal Nations and Indigenous peoples with 
                ties to the Colorado and Mojave Deserts since time 
                immemorial; and

                WHEREAS, it is in the public interest both to ensure 
                the preservation, restoration, and protection of the 
                objects of scientific and historic interest identified 
                above and to advance renewable energy in Development 
                Focus Areas (DFAs) that were identified by the Desert 
                Renewable Energy Conservation Plan (DRECP) as of the 
                date of this proclamation; and

                WHEREAS, I find that all the objects identified above, 
                and objects of the type identified above within the 
                area described herein, are objects of historic or 
                scientific interest in need of protection under section 
                320301 of title 54, United States Code, regardless of 
                whether they are expressly identified as objects of 
                historic or scientific interest in the text of this 
                proclamation; and

                WHEREAS, I find that there are threats to the objects 
                identified in this proclamation, and, in the absence of 
                a reservation under the Antiquities Act, the objects 
                identified in this proclamation are not adequately 
                protected by applicable law or administrative 
                designations, thus making a national monument 
                designation and reservation necessary to protect the 
                objects of historic and scientific interest identified 
                above for current and future generations; and

                WHEREAS, I find that the boundaries of the monument 
                reserved by this proclamation represent the smallest 
                area compatible with the proper care and management of 
                the objects of historic or scientific interest 
                identified above, as required by the Antiquities Act; 
                and

                WHEREAS, it is in the public interest to ensure the 
                preservation, restoration, and protection of the 
                objects of historic and scientific interest identified 
                above;

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of 
                the United States of America, by the authority vested 
                in me by section 320301 of title 54, United States 
                Code, hereby proclaim the objects identified above that 
                are situated upon lands and interests in lands owned or 
                controlled by the Federal Government to be the 
                Chuckwalla National Monument (monument) and, for the 
                purpose of protecting those objects, reserve as part 
                thereof all lands and interests in lands that are owned 
                or controlled by the Federal

[[Page 6721]]

                Government within the boundaries described on the 
                accompanying map, which is attached hereto and forms a 
                part of this proclamation. These reserved Federal lands 
                and interests in lands encompass approximately 624,270 
                acres. As a result of the distribution of the objects 
                across the Chuckwalla region, the boundaries described 
                on the accompanying map are confined to the smallest 
                area compatible with the proper care and management of 
                the objects of historic or scientific interest 
                identified above.

                All Federal lands and interests in lands within the 
                boundaries of the monument are hereby appropriated and 
                withdrawn from all forms of entry, location, selection, 
                sale, or other disposition under the public land laws, 
                other than by exchange that furthers the protective 
                purposes of the monument or that facilitates the 
                remediation, monitoring, or reclamation of historic 
                mining operations on public or private land within the 
                monument boundary; from location, entry, and patent 
                under the mining laws; and from disposition under all 
                laws relating to mineral and geothermal leasing.

                The establishment of the monument is subject to valid 
                existing rights. If the Federal Government subsequently 
                acquires any lands or interests in lands not currently 
                owned or controlled by the Federal Government within 
                the boundaries described on the accompanying map, such 
                lands and interests in lands shall be reserved as a 
                part of the monument, and objects of the type 
                identified above that are situated upon those lands and 
                interests in lands shall be part of the monument, upon 
                acquisition of ownership or control by the Federal 
                Government.

                Nothing in this proclamation shall be construed to 
                alter the valid existing water rights of any party, 
                including the United States, or to alter or affect 
                agreements governing the management and administration 
                of the Colorado River, including any existing 
                interstate water compact. This proclamation does not 
                reserve water as a matter of Federal law.

                The Secretary of the Interior (Secretary), through the 
                BLM, shall manage the monument pursuant to applicable 
                legal authorities, as a unit of the National Landscape 
                Conservation System, and in accordance with the terms, 
                conditions, and management direction provided by this 
                proclamation.

                For purposes of protecting and restoring the objects 
                identified above, the Secretary shall within 3 years 
                from the date of this proclamation prepare a management 
                plan for the monument and shall promulgate such rules 
                and regulations for the management of the monument as 
                deemed appropriate. The Secretary, through the BLM, 
                shall consult with other Federal land management 
                agencies or agency components in the local area, 
                including the Bureau of Reclamation, Department of 
                Defense, and National Park Service, in developing the 
                management plan.

                The Secretary shall provide for maximum public 
                involvement in the development of the management plan, 
                as well as consultation with Tribal Nations affiliated 
                culturally or historically with the Chuckwalla Region 
                and conferral with State and local governments. In 
                preparing the management plan, the Secretary shall take 
                into account, to the maximum extent practicable, 
                maintaining the undeveloped character of the lands 
                within the monument; minimizing impacts from surface-
                disturbing activities; providing appropriate and, where 
                consistent with the proper care and management of the 
                objects of historic or scientific interest identified 
                above, improving access for recreation, hunting, 
                dispersed camping, wildlife management, scientific 
                research, and the permissible casual collection of 
                rocks; and emphasizing the retention of natural quiet, 
                dark night skies, and scenic attributes of the region.

                The Secretary shall consider appropriate mechanisms to 
                provide for temporary closures to the general public of 
                specific portions of the monument to protect the 
                privacy of cultural, religious, and gathering 
                activities of members of Tribal Nations.

                The Secretary, through the BLM, shall establish an 
                advisory committee under chapter 10 of title 5, United 
                States Code (commonly known as the Federal Advisory 
                Committee Act), to provide advice or recommendations 
                regarding

[[Page 6722]]

                the development of the management plan and, as 
                appropriate, management of the monument. The advisory 
                committee shall consist of a fair and balanced 
                representation of interested stakeholders, including 
                State agencies and local governments; Tribal Nations; 
                recreational users; conservation organizations; the 
                scientific community; the renewable energy and electric 
                utility industry; and the general public in the region.

                In recognition of the value of collaboration with 
                Tribal Nations for the proper care and management of 
                the objects identified above and to ensure that 
                management of the monument is informed by, integrates, 
                and reflects Tribal expertise and Indigenous Knowledge, 
                as appropriate, the Secretary shall meaningfully engage 
                with Tribal Nations with cultural or historical 
                affiliation to the Chuckwalla region, including by 
                seeking opportunities for co-stewardship of the 
                monument.

                If Tribal Nations with cultural or historical 
                affiliation to the Chuckwalla region independently 
                establish a commission or other similar entity 
                (commission) comprised of elected officers or official 
                designees from each participating Tribal Nation to 
                engage in co-stewardship of the monument with the 
                Federal Government through shared responsibilities or 
                administration, then the Secretary shall meaningfully 
                engage the commission in the development, revision, or 
                amendment of the management plan and the management of 
                the monument, including by considering and, as 
                appropriate, integrating the Indigenous Knowledge and 
                special expertise of the members of the commission in 
                the planning and management of the monument. The 
                management plan for the monument shall also set forth 
                parameters for continued meaningful engagement with the 
                commission, if established, in the implementation of 
                the management plan and, as appropriate, incorporate 
                public education on and interpretation of traditional 
                place names and the cultural significance of land 
                within the monument. The Secretary shall explore 
                opportunities to provide support to the commission, if 
                established, to enable participation in the planning 
                and management of the monument.

                The Secretary shall also explore entering into 
                cooperative agreements or contracts, pursuant to the 
                Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act, 
                25 U.S.C. 5301 et seq. or other applicable authorities, 
                with Tribes or Tribal organizations to perform 
                administrative or management functions within the 
                monument and providing technical and financial 
                assistance to improve the capacity of Tribal Nations to 
                develop, enter into, and carry out activities under 
                such cooperative agreements or contracts. The Secretary 
                also shall explore opportunities for funding agreements 
                with Tribal Nations relating to the management and 
                protection of traditional cultural properties and other 
                culturally significant programming associated with the 
                monument.

                Nothing in this proclamation shall be deemed to alter, 
                modify, abrogate, enlarge, or diminish the rights or 
                jurisdiction of any Tribal Nation, including off-
                reservation reserved rights. The Secretary shall, to 
                the maximum extent permitted by law and in consultation 
                with Tribal Nations, ensure the protection of sacred 
                sites and cultural properties and sites in the monument 
                and shall provide access to Tribal members for 
                traditional cultural, spiritual, and customary uses, 
                consistent with the American Indian Religious Freedom 
                Act (42 U.S.C. 1996), the Religious Freedom Restoration 
                Act (42 U.S.C. 2000bb et seq.), Executive Order 13007 
                of May 24, 1996 (Indian Sacred Sites), and the November 
                10, 2021, Memorandum of Understanding Regarding 
                Interagency Coordination and Collaboration for the 
                Protection of Indigenous Sacred Sites. Such uses shall 
                include, but are not limited to, the collection of 
                medicines, berries, plants, and other vegetation for 
                cradle boards and other purposes, and firewood for 
                ceremonial practices and personal noncommercial use, so 
                long as each use is carried out consistent with 
                applicable law and in a manner consistent with the 
                proper care and management of the objects identified 
                above. The Secretary shall endeavor to prepare an 
                ethnographic study and cultural resources survey of the 
                monument to assess the importance of the land to Tribal 
                Nations affiliated culturally

[[Page 6723]]

                or historically with the Chuckwalla Region and the 
                religious, spiritual, and cultural practices of 
                culturally affiliated Tribal Nations.

                The Secretary shall explore mechanisms, consistent with 
                applicable law, to enable the protection of Indigenous 
                Knowledge or other information relating to the nature 
                and specific location of cultural resources within the 
                monument and, to the extent practicable, shall explain 
                to the holders of such knowledge or information any 
                limitations on the ability to protect such information 
                from disclosure before it is shared with the BLM.

                Nothing in this proclamation shall be construed to 
                preclude the renewal or assignment of, or interfere 
                with the operation, maintenance, replacement, 
                modification, upgrade, or access to, existing or 
                previously approved flood control, utility, pipeline, 
                and telecommunications sites or facilities; roads or 
                highway corridors; seismic monitoring facilities; 
                wildlife management structures installed by the BLM or 
                the State of California; or water infrastructure, 
                including wildlife water developments or water district 
                facilities, within the boundaries of existing or 
                previously approved authorizations within the monument. 
                Existing or previously approved flood control, utility 
                (including electric transmission and distribution), 
                pipeline, telecommunications, and seismic monitoring 
                facilities; roads or highway corridors; wildlife 
                management structures installed by the BLM or the State 
                of California; and water infrastructure, including 
                wildlife water developments or water district 
                facilities, may be expanded, and new facilities of such 
                kind may be constructed, to the extent consistent with 
                the proper care and management of the objects 
                identified above and subject to the Secretary's 
                authorities, other applicable law, and the provisions 
                of this proclamation related to roads and trails.

                For purposes of protecting and restoring the objects 
                identified above, the Secretary shall prepare a 
                transportation plan that designates the roads and 
                trails on which motorized and non-motorized mechanized 
                vehicle use will be allowed. The transportation plan 
                shall include management decisions necessary to protect 
                the objects identified in this proclamation. Except for 
                emergency purposes and authorized administrative 
                purposes, including management activities by 
                appropriate California State agencies to maintain, 
                enhance, or restore fish and wildlife populations and 
                habitats, which are otherwise consistent with 
                applicable law, motorized vehicle use in the monument 
                may be permitted only on roads and trails documented as 
                existing in BLM route inventories that exist as of the 
                date of this proclamation. Any additional roads or 
                trails designated for motorized vehicle use by the 
                general public must be designated only for public 
                safety needs or if necessary for the protection of the 
                objects identified above.

                Livestock grazing has not been permitted in the 
                monument area since 2002, and the Secretary shall not 
                issue any new grazing permits or leases on such lands.

                Nothing in this proclamation shall affect the BLM's 
                ability to authorize access to and remediation or 
                monitoring of contaminated lands within the monument, 
                including for remediation of unexploded ordnance and 
                mine, mill, or tailing sites or for the restoration of 
                natural resources.

                Nothing in this proclamation shall preclude low-level 
                overflights of military aircraft, the landing of 
                military aircraft in accordance with aviation safety 
                regulations in landing zones that have been or are 
                designated in the future, military flight testing or 
                evaluation, the designation of new units of special use 
                airspace, the use of existing or the establishment of 
                new military flight training routes, or low-level 
                overflights and landings of aircraft by the BLM or its 
                contractors for scientific or resource management 
                purposes. Nothing in this proclamation shall preclude 
                the use of land within the monument for military 
                training, or preclude air or ground access to existing 
                or new electronic tracking or communications sites 
                associated with special use airspace and military 
                flight training routes, after appropriate coordination 
                between the Department of Defense and the Department of 
                the Interior.

[[Page 6724]]

                As this monument is located near DFAs identified by the 
                DRECP and is consistent with the goals of that plan, 
                nothing in this proclamation shall be interpreted to 
                require denial of proposals for renewable energy 
                projects that are in DFAs identified by the DRECP and 
                that comply with all applicable legal requirements.

                Nothing in this proclamation shall be deemed to enlarge 
                or diminish the jurisdiction or authority of the State 
                of California with respect to fish and wildlife 
                management, including hunting and fishing, on the lands 
                reserved by this proclamation. The Secretary shall seek 
                to develop and implement science-based habitat and 
                ecological restoration projects within the monument and 
                shall seek to collaborate with the State of California 
                on wildlife management within the monument, including 
                through the development of new, or the continuation of 
                existing, agreements with the California Department of 
                Fish and Wildlife.

                The Secretary shall evaluate opportunities to enter 
                into one or more agreements with governments, including 
                State, local, and Tribal, regarding the protection of 
                the objects identified above during wildland fire 
                prevention and response efforts. Nothing in this 
                proclamation shall be construed to alter the authority 
                or responsibility of any party with respect to 
                emergency response activities within the monument, 
                including wildland fire response.

                Nothing in this proclamation shall be deemed to limit 
                the authority of the Secretary, consistent with 
                applicable law, to undertake or authorize activities 
                for the purpose of ensuring safe and continued 
                recreational access to canyons in the Mecca Hills 
                Wilderness.

                Nothing in this proclamation shall be deemed to revoke 
                any existing withdrawal, reservation, or appropriation; 
                however, the monument shall be the dominant 
                reservation.

                Warning is hereby given to all unauthorized persons not 
                to appropriate, injure, destroy, or remove any feature 
                of the monument and not to locate or settle upon any of 
                the lands thereof.

                If any provision of this proclamation, including its 
                application to a particular parcel of land, is held to 
                be invalid, the remainder of this proclamation and its 
                application to other parcels of land shall not be 
                affected thereby.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                fourteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand twenty-five, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and forty-
                ninth.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

Billing code 3395-F4-P

[[Page 6725]]

[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TD17JA25.114


[FR Doc. 2025-01441
Filed 1-16-25; 11:15 am]
Billing code 4310-10-C`