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Tribal nations from across California are calling on President Donald Trump to uphold federal protections for the Chuckwalla National Monument, a desert landscape rich in cultural and environmental significance.

In a letter sent Thursday, multiple tribal leaders, along with the National Congress of American Indians, formally requested a meeting with the White House to discuss the monument’s importance and the consequences of weakening its protections. The land was designated by President Joe Biden in January as part of a broader effort to safeguard culturally significant Native lands and preserve delicate desert ecosystems.

However, a recently surfaced White House memo under the Trump administration suggests those protections could be rolled back—prompting concern and swift action from local tribal communities.

“The designation of Chuckwalla was not just symbolic,” the letter reads. “It recognized generations of Indigenous connection to the land. Any changes must include meaningful consultation with our communities.”

Tribal leaders argue that altering the monument’s status without input from those who have ancestral ties to the land would be a grave oversight and violate principles of tribal sovereignty and federal trust responsibilities.

The Chuckwalla National Monument stretches across parts of Riverside and Imperial counties and is home to sacred sites, rare wildlife, and protected desert landscapes. Its designation followed years of advocacy by environmental groups and Native communities alike.

Now, those same voices are urging the federal government to listen.

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Tribal Nations Urge President Trump to Preserve Chuckwalla National Monument