Leaders, groups ‘elated’ over possible expansion of Southern California national monument

President Joe Biden has signaled that he will expand the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument by one-third in the next few weeks.

Local elected officials and advocacy groups are buoyed by signals that President Joe Biden will sign a declaration expanding the 346,177-acre San Gabriel Mountains National Monument by one-third within the next few weeks.

Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif. and Rep. Judy Chu, D-Pasadena, who have bills stalled in Congress that expand the monument by adding 109,167 acres of federal forest land, while designating 30,000 acres of protected wilderness and adding 45.5 miles to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, reacted positively to a Washington Post report published on Thursday, April 11.

But neither legislator could confirm the story, which was sourced through two anonymous sources briefed on the topic. Representatives from Chu’s Office and Padilla’s office said Thursday they had not received any word from the White House.

Padilla’s office has heard rumors from conservation groups, and some of those groups told the office that Biden himself may make it official during a future visit to California. The White House did not answer an inquiry by press time.

“The Biden Administration knows the value of protecting our public lands to combat climate change and ensure urban communities have access to the outdoors,” Padilla wrote in an emailed response. “I look forward to working with them to safeguard some of California’s most treasured natural landscapes, including in the San Gabriel Mountains, and ensure they are around for future generations of Angelenos to enjoy.”

In October 2014, President Barack Obama visited the Angeles National Forest near San Dimas to sign into existence the San Gabriel Mountains monument, using the power granted the executive branch by the Antiquities Act of 1906.

But in the nearly 10 years since then, Chu, Padilla and local environmental, tribal and veterans groups have lobbied to include the most-used trails in the southwestern part of the Angeles National Forest in the monument. Many today say Biden should complete the vision by folding in areas with historic hiking trails and camps dating back to the 1800s, such as Chantry Flat near Arcadia and Sierra Madre and Sturtevant Camp, as well as Native American sites and relics, some which have been left unprotected and vandalized.

The proposed expansion also would include Big Tujunga Canyon, the Upper Arroyo Seco area, Switzer’s Camp, Millard Canyon and Eaton Canyon. The expansion would include trails that lead to popular Placerita Canyon near Santa Clarita.

Chu, who was involved in creating the monument before President Obama’s action, was dismayed when popular parts of the 700,000-acre Angeles National Forest were not included in the monument. Some said it was because Obama wanted to slim down the size in order to prevent a backlash from Congress.

“In partnership with environmental, tribal, and community allies on the ground, I’ve fought for a decade to expand the boundary of California’s San Gabriel Mountains National Monument, so I’d be absolutely elated for President Biden to use his executive authorities to finalize this, recognize the significance of all these lands, and unlock additional federal supports and resources,” Chu wrote in an email response on Thursday.

The expansion area includes an ancient site tied to the Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians’ story of tújú, the old woman who turned into stone on the hillside facing the San Fernando Valley.

“The protection of these sites is of extreme importance to the tribe,” said Miguel Luna, director of tribal historic and cultural preservation. “We are thrilled to hear President Biden’s reported plans to expand the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument not just for the current descendants but also for future generations.”

San Gabriel resident Chief Anthony Morales of the Gabrielino San Gabriel Band of Mission Indians said that this expansion would be “very meaningful” to him and his ancestors.

Morales hoped an expansion would come with continued monetary resources needed take care of the mountains, as well as for upkeep and further protection of the monument.

“We always have to remember our ancestors,” he said. “So for me, this is a policy that will remember my ancestors’ memory, culture and life that existed then, and continues today.”

Environmental, hiking, mountain biking, tribal and veterans groups have lobbied the Biden Administration to use the Antiquities Act to add to the monument’s size. As a result, the Biden Administration sent Homer Wilkes, under secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for natural resources and environment, to the San Gabriel Valley in November to listen to more than 250 people speak about the expansion and report back to the president.

An overwhelming majority of the speakers favored the expansion.

While there’s no federal money attached to a presidential monument expansion, the original monument designation attracted attention from private investors.

Soon after the Obama designation, donations of about $3 million flowed to the National Forest Foundation. It also received $500,000 in a combined total from the Annenberg Foundation, the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health and the California Endowment. A year later, Coca-Cola made a $900,000 donation.

Supporters of expansion say it will help address the climate and biodiversity crises by protecting important habitat and wildlife corridors for black bears, mountain lions, coyotes, bighorn sheep, and mule deer, as well as contribute to state and federal goals to conserve 30% of public lands and waters by 2030.

Others see it as a way of opening up natural areas for hiking, mountain biking or just finding a peaceful getaway.

“We are very excited about the possibility (of expansion),” said Janessa Goldbeck, CEO of Vets Voice Foundation, which represents 1.5 million veterans that lobbied the Biden Administration for expansion. “It would do a lot for veterans and military families in the area. I feel cautiously optimistic.”

In August, Biden established the Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni – Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument in Arizona. It was the fifth new national monument designated by Biden.

SCNG Staff Writer Victoria Ivie contributed to this article.