07 Mar Native Voters Alliance Nevada Responds to Upcoming Biden Trip to Designate New National Monument
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 7, 2023
Contact: Taylor Patterson, tpatterson@nativevotesnv.org, 702.686.5715
Native Voters Alliance Nevada Responds to Upcoming Biden Trip to Designate New National Monument
LAS VEGAS, NV – Today, news broke of President Joe Biden’s planned trip to Nevada to hold a ceremony designating Avi Kwa Ame in southern Nevada as a national monument.
“We’re incredibly hopeful and excited to welcome President Biden to Nevada in preparation for this incredibly crucial monument designation,” said Taylor Patterson, Executive Director of Native Voters Alliance Nevada. “Last year, we joined Tribal leaders and members from across Nevada and the southwest at a public meeting in Laughlin, in which over 200 people attended to voice support for protecting Avi Kwa Ame. This land is considered sacred to Tribes who trace their creation story to this land and it deserves to be protected. Tribes have been involved in this effort to protect Avi Kwa Ame for years, and for us at NVAN, it’s thrilling to be a part of the culmination of this effort. We’re thankful for the support of Congresswoman Dina Titus, who proposed legislation early last year, and we can’t thank Interior Secretary Deb Haaland enough for her leadership and for visiting the proposed site this past summer. We have been disappointed by broken promises from the federal government before, but we are hopeful next week will be the beginning of a new chapter. We look forward to attending the signing ceremony and seeing this process through, and celebrating this historic win along with President Biden and his administration.”
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About Native Voters Alliance Nevada: NVAN is an emerging state wide Native American organization that aims to develop a Native ecosystem to elevate the collective voice of urban and Tribal Nation citizens of Nevada to impact elections and legislation that protects Tribal sovereignty and uplifts our people. Learn more at nativevotesnv.org
About Avi Kwa Ame (Pronunciation: Ah-VEE kwa-meh): Sacred to 12 tribes, the proposed Avi Kwa Ame National Monument is at the center of Yuman creation stories and spiritual ideology and deserves permanent protection. Located between the Lake Mead National Recreation Area and the Nevada/California border, Avi Kwa Ame, the Mojave name for Spirit Mountain, could be Nevada’s 4th national monument. Covering hundreds of thousands of acres in southwestern Nevada, it is rich in both history and beauty. The proposed national monument includes petroglyphs; historic mining- and pioneer-era artifacts; rare and threatened wildlife such as the Mojave Desert tortoise and desert bighorn sheep.To learn more, visit www.honoravikwaame.org. Follow along on social media on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter