How Avi Kwa Ame was Designated a National Monument

Illustrated by Maki Naro

Avi Kwa Ame, or Spirit Mountain, is a culturally and biologically rich region of the Mojave Desert in southern Nevada.

As a source of life for 10 Yuman-speaking tribes, a culturally significant place for the Mojave and Southern Paiute people, and a critical wildlife habitat, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.

But greedy developers were threatening to tear apart the landscape for profit! They attempted to build a largescale wind farm right on this site – areas that contain the world’s largest and oldest Joshua trees.

Local residents, tribal groups, and conservation allies, including Friends of the Earth members like you, advocated for national monument designation to protect Avi Kwa Ame from this and future development.

In February of last year, a bill was introduced to officially grant National Monument designation. Secretary of the Interior, Deb Haaland, then visited the site and was asked to support the designation.

Finally, in November during the White House Tribal Summit, President Biden committed to protecting the area.

But we knew we couldn’t let up until he followed through.

Supporters like you sent over 33,000 messages directly to the White House in the following months urging the designation.

Finally in March, Avi Kwa Ame was officially designated as a National Monument by President Biden! The site now benefits from permanent land and resource protections, honoring Tribal communities and ensuring future generations can appreciate the area.

But the fight isn’t over – destructive megaprojects like the approved oil-drilling Willow Project in Alaska’s Arctic are in the works. We will continue to fight this and similar projects that prioritize private profit over our planet – and together, I know we can win!

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