A coalition of environmental groups intervened in a lawsuit in defense of the Chuckwalla National Monument in Southern California.
The lawsuit seeks to undo the designation of the monument that took place in January.
The groups’ motion follows the Ft. Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe, Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians and three other Tribal Nations’ motions to defend the monument.
“Even if the U.S. government vigorously defends the monument, it does not have the same interests as local Tribes or this intervening coalition,” the groups said. “This Monument is a living classroom for geology, rare plants, and climate change, and a vital, sustainable economic driver for the Coachella Valley.”
The Chuckwalla National Monument covers more than 620,000 acres in the Colorado Desert of Southern California.
