21 Mar NVAN: Native Voters Alliance Nevada Celebrates Biden Designation of Avi Kwa Ame as National Monument
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 21, 2023
Contact: Taylor Patterson, tpatterson@nativevotesnv.org, 702.686.5715
Native Voters Alliance Nevada Celebrates Biden Designation of Avi Kwa Ame as National Monument
LAS VEGAS, NV – Today, President Joe Biden designated Avi Kwa Ame in southern Nevada as the United States’ newest national monument, keeping a promise made last year during the 2022 Tribal Nations Summit in Washington D.C.
“We thank President Biden for following through on his promise to protect Avi Kwa Ame and for designating this sacred land. It feels good to finally say ‘Avi Kwa Ame National Monument’,” said Taylor Patterson, Executive Director of Native Voters Alliance Nevada. “This land is considered sacred to Tribes who trace their creation story to this land and it deserves to be protected and those Tribes have been involved in this effort to protect Avi Kwa Ame for years. This is truly a historic day as it signifies a change in posture towards Indigenous people from the federal government than that which we are unfortunately used to by now. It’s with great joy that I once again thank Congresswoman Dina Titus, Congresswoman Susie Lee, Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, Senator Jacky Rosen, and Interior Secretary Deb Haaland for their support and efforts bringing Avi Kwa Ame to the forefront of President Biden’s conservation agenda. Of course, there are still many other special places with deep significance to Tribal nations that deserve the protection Avi Kwa Ame has been given today. But, here in Nevada, we are thrilled to see such a long-fought struggle come to fruition with this new monument. We will continue working alongside leaders in the Biden-Harris administration to ensure sovereign Tribal nations are given a voice in matters that concern their ancestral lands, as we celebrate this historic and incredibly significant event this morning.”
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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