US President Joe Biden designated two California sites -- a swathe of desert significant to native tribes and a dormant volcano -- as national monuments on Tuesday, advancing his record of conserving more U.S. areas than any predecessor.
He had intended to announce the move in California last week, but raging wildfires around Los Angeles canceled his visit to Coachella Valley, near one of the new monuments. Instead, he made the announcement at the White House on Tuesday evening.
The new Chuckwalla National Monument in the southern California desert preserves more than 624,000 acres just south of Joshua Tree National Park. The area holds significance for the Cahuilla, Chemehuevi, Mojave, Quechan and Serrano tribes.
The Sattitla Highlands National Monument in northern California protects 224,000 acres where the dormant Medicine Lake volcano carved craters and lava tubes. The area is sacred to the Pit River and Modoc tribes.
"Our natural wonders are the heart and soul of our nation," Biden told an audience in the White House's East Room.