The push to preserve a grove of sacred swamp cedar trees and commemorate the site of several massacres perpetrated against Indigenous communities in eastern Nevada reached a new milestone last month. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) introduced legislation to establish Bahsahwahbee National Monument in Congress on July 29. The legislation is a long-awaited accomplishment for the Bahsahwahbee campaign, and brings the sacred landscape one step closer to permanent protection.
With Congress unlikely to act this year, the campaign is calling on President Joe Biden to use the Antiquities Act to designate the area a national monument. Drawing on his extensive Senate experience, Biden has traditionally awaited the introduction of legislation before using this authority to establish national monuments.
The Duckwater Shoshone Tribe, Ely Shoshone Tribe and Confederated Tribes of the Goshute have been advocating for Bahsahwahbee to become Nevada’s newest National Park Service-managed monument for years. Situated 8 miles north of Great Basin National Park, the soon-to-be Bahsahwahbee National Monument would benefit all Nevadans. Safeguarding public lands not only shields us from the most severe effects of climate change but also preserves the unique characteristics that define our state for future generations.
A poll of 602 Nevadans conducted last year reported that 77 percent of respondents support the tribes’ efforts to designate Bahsahwahbee. In 2021, the Nevada Legislature passed a resolution supporting the designation, including unanimous bipartisan support in the state Senate. The tribes are asking for the National Park Service to tell their story — a story of deep connection to the land, tragedy and resiliency.
Nevadans have shown how much they value public land and its protection. Nevada has the highest percentage of public land of any state in the nation. Conservation is part of the culture across the state, transcending party lines and rural-urban divides. Nevadans are more likely to support candidates that protect public lands, and invest in national parks and monuments. Nevada is also the ancestral home of 21 federally recognized tribes spanning 28 reservations, with Indigenous people inhabiting the Great Basin since time immemorial. Thanks to recent efforts to expand voting access, issues important to Native communities matter more than ever in determining our elections.
Intact wetlands and forests such those found at Bahsahwahbee continue to sequester carbon and protect climate-cooling biodiversity, fighting climate changes that have led to Reno and Las Vegas being named the two fastest warming cities in the country. This summer is shaping up to be the hottest on record in Nevada. Indigenous communities have known for millennia what others are only starting to reckon with: Land protection and community protection are inextricably linked.
Nevada, holding true to its purple nature, is projected to be one of the key states that will determine the results of the presidential election and if the Democratic majority in the Senate holds. Registered Independents in Nevada now outnumber registered Democrats and registered Republicans. Polls have shown that 72 percent of Nevadans believe that public land protection benefits our economy, and 78 percent of Independent voters (joined by 73 percent of GOP and 80 percent of Democratic Party voters) believe that conservation is important in selecting a candidate to vote for. All the signs point toward public lands and conservation efforts being a deciding factor in how Nevadans vote this November.
Bahsahwahbee becoming Nevada’s newest National Park Service-administered national monument is not narrowly a conservation issue for eastern Nevada, but one that impacts all Nevadans. The ball is in your court, President Biden.
Olivia Tanager is the director for the Toiyabe Chapter of the Sierra Club, focusing on Nevada, the Tahoe Basin and the eastern Sierra Nevada. It is a grassroots fueled group that advocates for increased access to renewable energy, public transportation and land, water and wildlife conservation.
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