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President Joe Biden joked about being careful not to mispronounce the monument he designated to honor Native American tribes — and then did just that.
On Tuesday, Biden designated two California sites as national monuments to honor Native American tribes and protect landscapes from mining and development.
He made the announcement at a White House event, a week later and far from his original plan to speak in the Eastern Coachella Valley due to wildfires.
Biden arrived in California on January 6 but only made it to Los Angeles before high winds, which fueled wildfires, forced the event's cancellation.
Instead, he spoke beside screens displaying peaks, desert landscapes, and diverse wildlife. 'I was hoping we could do this in place,' he said. 'This is as close as we could get.'
While joking about mispronouncing Sáttítla, Biden still stumbled over the name.
'The second national monument I'm designating today is… This is important. I mispronounced it the first time,' he quipped, before mispronouncing it again.
President Joe Biden joked about being careful not to mispronounce the monument he designated to honor Native American tribes — and then did just that
Biden officially established the Chuckwalla National Monument in Southern California, near Joshua Tree National Park, and the Sáttítla Highlands National Monument (pictured) in Northern California
When signing the official documents, he simply referred to it as the 'highlands' monument to avoid another attempt.
The designations are part of the Biden administration's broader effort to conserve at least 30 percent of U.S. lands and waters by 2030.
The Chuckwalla site covers 624,000 acres, while the Sáttítla monument encompasses roughly 225,000 acres.
Both sites will be protected from oil, gas, mining, and other development.
The Chuckwalla site includes wonders like Painted Canyon of Mecca Hills and Alligator Rock, home to over 50 rare species such as desert bighorn sheep and the Chuckwalla lizard.
Biden discussed taking his children to national monuments to 'witness the majesty, the beauty,' calling them 'the heart and soul of this nation.'
Native American tribes, including the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians and Fort Yuma Quechan Tribe, have long advocated for these protections, emphasizing the need to preserve sacred lands from mining and development.
President Joe Biden listens as Interior Secretary Deb Haaland speaks during the designation event at the White House
President Joe Biden smiles alongside Rhian Reyes, Campaign Organizer, Audubon, as he attends an event held to establish the monuments
Supporters argue that safeguarding these sites is crucial for maintaining cultural heritage and environmental health.
'Permanently protecting our nation’s public lands has been vital to the preservation of US heritage and history,' Janessa Goldbeck, Vet Voice Foundation's CEO, said in a statement.
Goldbeck also pointed to the land's military significance as a former training area.
But critics have also said their piece, claiming that establishing these monuments would institute regulations that would be in conflict with existing plans for natural disaster relief.
The American Forest Resource Council wrote a letter to Biden about their concerns.
'We cannot identify a successful example of a national monument created by a presidential proclamation at this scale that has resulted in focused, accelerated, timely, proactive action on the ground to address our wildfire and forest health crises,' it reads.
Conservatives have not been keen on the ideas either, criticizing it as an abuse of the Antiquities Act of 1906, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The act grants 'general legal protection of cultural and natural resources of historic or scientific interest on federal lands,' according to the National Park Service.
The Chuckwalla site (pictured) covers 624,000 acres, while the Sáttítla monument encompasses roughly 225,000 acres
Despite opposition, Biden continues to use his authority under the Antiquities Act to designate national monuments, furthering efforts to conserve public lands
Last year, Biden designated land for the Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni monument in Arizona.
The name means 'where Indigenous peoples roam' in the Havasupai language and 'our ancestral footprints' in the Hopi language.
His actions conserved nearly 1 million acres of public lands around the Grand Canyon.
It was the fifth monument Biden named since becoming president, using his authority under the Antiquities Act.
