Media Contacts
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Sara Burleson
Marketing and Communications Manager
The Nature Conservancy in Nevada
Phone: 702-936-5968
Email: sara.burleson@tnc.org
The designation of a national monument for Avi Kwa Ame protects a national historical and scientific treasure. In addition to honoring a traditional lifeway and sacred place for the Mojave, Chemehuevi and some Southern Paiute people, the Avi Kwa Ame area is one of the remaining unprotected, ecologically intact areas in the Mojave Desert. Protecting the landscape as a national monument ensures habitat connectivity between the Mojave Desert Preserve and the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, which spans across a transition zone between the Sonoran and Mojave deserts.
“The Nature Conservancy has worked for 30 years to protect habitat in the area of the proposed Avi Kwa Ame Monument,” said Mauricia Baca, Nevada state director for The Nature Conservancy. “It is an incredibly unique and special ecosystem. Despite the heat and aridity, there is an amazing abundance of unique life, species that are found nowhere else. Iconic wildlife like the threatened Mojave desert tortoise, bighorn sheep, kit fox, various migratory birds, lizards and snakes, numerous species of cacti and yuccas—they all work together in this hot, dry, impossible place to form an amazing network of life.”
We appreciate the tireless work of the Tribal Nations and Indigenous peoples to conserve Avi Kwa Ame for future generations. Thank you, President Biden, for designating this monument, and thank you to Rep. Titus, Rep. Lee, Sen. Cortez Masto and Sen. Rosen for your support.
The Nature Conservancy is a global conservation organization dedicated to conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends. Guided by science, we create innovative, on-the-ground solutions to our world’s toughest challenges so that nature and people can thrive together. We are tackling climate change, conserving lands, waters and oceans at an unprecedented scale, providing food and water sustainably and helping make cities more sustainable. The Nature Conservancy is working to make a lasting difference around the world in 77 countries and territories (41 by direct conservation impact and 36 through partners) through a collaborative approach that engages local communities, governments, the private sector, and other partners. To learn more, visit nature.org or follow @nature_press on X.