Tribal representatives in California are calling on President Biden to designate three new national monuments in the Golden State before he leaves office in January. Some fear the chances of protecting the areas from mining, drilling, and logging could be minimal once President-elect Donald Trump takes office. These are lands being sought for national monument status: The proposed Kw’tsán National Monument includes 390,000 acres of tribal homeland in Imperial County. The proposed Chuckwalla National Monument, which includes 644,000 acres of public lands in Riverside and Imperial Counties, which stretches from the Coachella Valley near the Salton Sea to the Colorado River The proposed Sáttítla National Monument includes over 200,000 acres that extend over parts of the Shasta-Trinity, Klamath and Modoc national forests in northeastern California. “For us, it’s about more than protecting the environment. Our culture, spirituality, and identity are connected to the ecosystems our people have inhabited for thousands of years. If a species goes extinct, if a mountain is destroyed by mining, if a river runs dry due to over-extraction – that is the same thing to us as losing a relative or having someone close to us harmed. We lose a part of ourselves and our history.” Lena Ortega, Kw’tsán Cultural Committee Member and Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe, said in a statement. In August, California legislators Assemblymembers James Ramos and Eduardo Garcia and State Senators Ben Allen and Steve Padilla joined tribal representatives in calling on the Biden administration to act. During his first administration, Trump reduced the boundaries of two national monuments in Utah, Bear’s Ears and Grand Staircase, by 85%. He also eliminated protections for a marine monument off the coast of New England. The Biden administration reversed those changes. During his presidency, Biden designated six monuments and expanded four, including enlarging the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument near Los Angeles. Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-Indio), a supporter of the movement, told the Los Angeles Times that he’s confident that Biden will act before leaving office. Using the Antiquities Act, Biden could establish new national monuments with a Presidential Proclamation. Opponents have said the law has been misused as unchecked land grabs, has vague standards and has been inappropriately used in the past.