Southwest Public Lands Permanently Conserved Via Antiquities Act
President Biden designates Avi Kwa Ame National Monument and Castner Range National Monument following requests by Tribes, hunters, business owners, local residents
WASHINGTON – Valuable wildlife habitat and important cultural lands will be permanently conserved following the Biden administration’s designation Tuesday of Avi Kwa Ame National Monument in southern Nevada and Castner Range National Monument in west Texas.
Avi Kwa Ame National Monument spans more than 500,000 acres of federal public lands that will continue to be managed by the Bureau of Land Management. The state of Nevada will retain wildlife management authority under the proclamation language, including active management for water resources to sustain wildlife populations. Hunting and existing public access opportunities will be maintained, and the proclamation requires representatives from the hunting community to be on the monument advisory committee.
Located on Fort Bliss in Texas, Castner Range National Monument comprises 6,672 acres of the historic testing and training site for the U.S. Army during World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. The monument will be managed by the Army, and the landscape will undergo a Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) process to ensure public safety. The region’s conservation will provide increased access to public lands that have been closed since 1966 in addition to connecting wildlife habitat, for species such as mule deer, with the adjacent Franklin Mountains State Park. Read more