By Signal Staff
President Joe Biden signed a proclamation Thursday expanding the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument, a move that extends the monument further into the Santa Clarita Valley and could eventually impact plans by multinational mining giant Cemex to mine 56 million tons of sand and gravel from Soledad Canyon.
The proclamation signed in a ceremony on Thursday accompanies a similar one expanding the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument, north of San Francisco.
“Together, these actions will protect nearly 120,000 acres of lands in California of scientific, cultural, ecological, and historical importance, adding unparalleled value to these already beloved national monuments and expanding outdoor access to nearby underserved and disadvantaged communities,” read a White House fact sheet on the proclamations.
The San Gabriel Mountains National Monument includes portions of the Angeles National Forest in the mountains south of the city of Santa Clarita, separating the Santa Clarita and San Fernando valleys. The expansion extends the monument further into Placerita, Whitney and Elsmere canyons on the southern side of the SCV.
Although the expansion of the monument itself does not directly impact Cemex’s Soledad Canyon mining plans, local leaders believe it improves the community’s leverage in continued efforts to prevent the mine from being developed.
The mining company is currently involved in litigation seeking to prevent the state Water Resources Control Board from revisiting its decades-old approval that would allow Cemex to use water from the Santa Clara River for its mining operations.
The expansion of the national monument has been championed by Sen. Alex Padilla, D-California, and Rep. Judy Chu, D-Pasadena, who last year called on Biden to expand the monument using the Antiquities Act. The Antiquities Act is a 1906 law that grants U.S. presidents the ability to designate federal public lands, waters, and cultural and historical sites as national monuments with a presidential proclamation.
The effort has been supported by the city of Santa Clarita, L.A. County and other cities in the region including Alhambra, Baldwin Park, Duarte, El Monte, Glendale, Huntington Park, Long Beach, Montebello, Monterey Park, Pomona, Pasadena, San Fernando, and South Pasadena. Over 62,000 community members signed a petition urging Biden to use the Antiquities Act to expand the monument.
L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who represents the SCV, issued a statement Thursday applauding the expansion.
“Today’s approved expansion of the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument is a big deal,” Barger’s statement said. “It will drive the federal government to invest more resources to permanently protect and conserve these important natural lands. As more development comes to Los Angeles County, I believe it is critical to conserve open spaces that help our local residents and visitors connect to nature and wildlife. Preserving these special lands for future generations is important.”
Barger’s statement added that a federal legislative strategy with wide support from federal, state and local elected officials culminated with Thursday’s presidential proclamation. Last year, the Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to support a motion introduced by Barger that placed Los Angeles County’s support behind Chu’s congressional bill to expand and preserve the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument.
Rudy Ortega Jr., president of the Fernandeño-Tataviam Band of Mission Indians, was in Washington, D.C., for the signing ceremony on Thursday and released a statement thanking Biden.
“We are deeply moved that the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument is expanding,” Ortega said in the statement. “Over 80,000 acres of the expansion are located within our Fernandeño territory, with 30% of our 900-plus tribal citizens descending from villages that predate the existence of California. We thank the Biden administration for making this longstanding vision a reality.”
“The San Gabriel Mountains National Monument is a crown jewel for Los Angeles. It is a backyard to millions of people, and is also home to cultural resources, rare animals and plants, unique geology, and dynamic forests, rivers and high peaks,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, who joined Biden for the signing, said in a news release from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which includes the Forest Service. “President Biden’s actions today ensure this remarkable place is protected for current and future generations.”
The expanded monument will include 105,919 acres considered the “gateway” to the Angeles National Forest and the national monument, according to a news release from Nature for All Coalition, made up of local and national nonprofits. The group works to protect the public lands and green, open spaces around Los Angeles, and has advocated for the expansion.
The USDA release said the expanded national monument includes sites and resources that tell of the rich history of peoples and lands including a unique scenic railway, grand recreation resorts, and Cold War Nike missile facilities.
“The exceptional geology also provides opportunities for exploration and the diverse ecosystems provide important connectivity to enable species to move from foothills in the south to the soaring mountains to the north,” the release said. “The expansion area will provide unparalleled value to an already beloved national monument for nearby underserved and disadvantaged communities.”
Along with the expansion, the USDA and its partners are investing more resources and staffing for the national monument, according to the USDA release. This includes additional field rangers, interpretation and visitor engagement positions, support from the Tiuvac’a’ai’ Tribal Conservation Corps, and $2.3 million in Great American Outdoors Act funding to rehabilitate barracks and provide housing for recreation and other Angeles National Forest staff.
Additionally, a $1 million investment from private philanthropy and complementary funding from the California Water Resources Control Board, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the California Rivers and Mountains Conservancy, will be targeted to the area to improve the health of the lands and waters, manage sensitive resources amid increased interest in the area’s recreational opportunities, and improve the overall visitor experience, the USDA release said.
The original 346,177-acre San Gabriel Mountains National Monument was designated by President Barack Obama on Oct. 10, 2014.
