Over 500,000 acres of public lands and many thousands of animals will be protected as Avi Kwa Ame in Nevada and Castner Range in Texas were designated as National Monuments.
On March 21, 2023, President Biden designated both Avi Kwa Ame in Nevada and
Castner Range in Texas as National Monuments, which will protect more than
500,000 acres of public lands. We commend him for taking action to protect
these fragile ecosystems which are home to many animals and are culturally
significant as well.
In 1906, Theodore Roosevelt signed the Antiquities Act into law, which
allows presidents to preserve natural spaces for plants and animals,
including humans, and proceeded to designate Devil’s Tower as the first
national monument in the United States.
Along with many individuals and groups, more than 15,000 In Defense of
Animals’ supporters signed our recent alert urging Biden to designate Avi
Kwa Ame, Castner Range, and Plum Island as national monuments and two of the
three have now been protected successfully! These designations take a
critical step toward protecting members of animal and plant species who are
endangered and face threats from human development and the impacts of the
climate crisis.
Now so many dozens of species of wild animals have a safe place to call
home. Avi Kwa Ame is an important habitat for wild animals like bighorn
sheep, mule deer, and members of many different bird species who live in the
Mojave desert. It is also a critical location for the Mojave desert
tortoise.
Members of over 27 endangered species live in Castner Range, an area in the
Franklin Mountains of western Texas. This special place in the Chihuahuan
desert will now serve as a permanent corridor for animals like mule deer,
mountain lions, and peccaries. This corridor allows them to navigate from
range to range without encountering human developments and roads that are
dangerous and potentially fatal.
Let’s hope that Plum Island is next up on the list, and that these other
animals will be protected there as well! In the meantime, please visit our
Wild Animals campaign to learn more about ways you can help.