The proposed Sáttítla National Monument would span some 200,000 acres in Shasta-Trinity, Klamath and Modoc National Forests, about 30 miles from Mt. Shasta.
Local tribes and conservation groups have long fought against geothermal projects in the area, also known as the Medicine Lake Highlands.
“These lands and the waters beneath them are not just a part of our history. It is central to our identity, our spirituality and our future,” said Pit River Tribe chairman Yatch Bamford at a press conference in Sacramento on Wednesday.
The unique geological area — made up of a shield volcano — includes a large aquifer that feeds into the state’s waterways like the spring-fed Fall River in Shasta County.
“We can ensure that Californians continue to have access to millions of gallons of source water… kept safe from the exploits of man, industrialization and climate-related impacts,” said Bamford.
California’s State Assembly adopted two resolutions this month calling for three national monuments covering a total of over 1.2 million acres. Besides Sáttítla, around 627,000 acres in Riverside and Imperial Counties were proposed as the Chuckwalla National Monument. The Kw'tsán National Monument would also encompass over 390,000 acres in Imperial County.
On Friday, U.S. senators from California also announced plans to introduce legislation in Congress for the establishment of the Sáttítla National Monument.
Conservation groups are hoping Biden uses his last months in office to put more areas under federal protection as part of his administration’s goal to help conserve 30% of the country’s land and water by 2030.
Oregon Governor Tina Kotek also recently asked the president for a national monument designation within the Owyhee Canyonlands in southeastern Oregon.
Biden’s office has won legal challenges against the expansion of national monuments in Utah. But next month the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals will hear arguments by a Utah county challenging the president’s use of the Antiquities Act of 1906 to conserve large areas.
