Biden today cancels event announcing the creation of the Chuckwalla and Sáttítla national monuments near Joshua Tree and in Northern California.

LOS ANGELES– Dangerously high winds forced President Joe Biden to cancel a trip to the eastern Coachella Valley on Tuesday, where he was expected to announce the creation of two new national monuments in California that will honor Native American tribes.

Winds began to gain strength in Southern California as forecasters warned of “destructive and life-threatening” gusts. The president was in his limousine, ready to leave Los Angeles when the event was canceled. The White House had initially announced that Biden would speak in Los Angeles, but then announced that the event would be rescheduled at the White House next week for a time when others could attend.

The National Weather Service said it could be the strongest Santa Ana storm in more than a decade and will peak in the early hours of Wednesday, when gusts could reach 80 mph (129 km/h). h). Isolated gusts could exceed 100 mph in the mountains and foothills.

Biden’s announcement was part of his administration’s effort to conserve at least 30% of U.S. lands and waters by 2030 through his “America the Beautiful” initiative. But the trip’s cancellation is also a stark reminder of another administration priority: climate change and the growing effects of extreme weather.

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The proclamations name Chuckwalla National Monument in Southern California, near Joshua Tree National Park, and Sáttítla National Monument in Northern California. The declarations prohibit drilling, mining and other development at the 624,000-acre (2,400-square-kilometer) Chuckwalla site and approximately 225,000 acres (800 square kilometers) near the border. from Oregon to Northern California.

The new monuments protect clean water for communities, honor areas of cultural significance to tribal nations and indigenous peoples and improve access to nature, the White House said.

Biden, who has two weeks left in office, announced Monday that he would ban new offshore oil and gas drilling in most U.S. coastal waters, including California and other West Coast states. The plan aims to block possible efforts by the new Trump administration to expand offshore drilling.

This wave of activity is in line with the Democratic president’s “America the Beautiful” initiative launched in 2021, aimed at honoring tribal heritage, meeting federal goals of conserving 30% of public lands and waters by 2030 and to fight climate change.

The Pit River Tribe worked to have the federal government designate the Sáttítla National Monument. The region is a spiritual center for the Pit River and Modoc tribes and encompasses mountain forests and meadows that are home to rare flowers and wildlife.

A number of Native American tribes and environmental groups have begun pushing Biden to designate Chuckwalla National Monument, named for the large desert lizard, in early 2023. The monument would protect public lands south of Joshua Tree National Park , spanning the Coachella Valley region. west to near the Colorado River.

Advocates say the monument will protect a tribal cultural landscape, ensure access to nature for local residents and preserve sites of military history.

“The designation of the Chuckwalla and Sáttítla National Monuments in California marks a historic step toward protecting lands of deep cultural, ecological and historical significance for all Americans,” said Carrie Besnette Hauser, president and CEO of the non-profit association Trust for Public Land.

The new monuments “honor the sustainable stewardship of tribal nations and the tireless efforts of local communities and conservation advocates who have fought to save these irreplaceable landscapes for future generations,” Hauser said.

National monuments like Chuckwalla and Sáttítla play a key role in fighting historical injustices and ensuring a more inclusive telling of America’s history, she said.

Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla of California called the new monuments a major victory that will safeguard the state’s public lands for generations to come.

The designation of the Chuckwalla Monument “accelerates our state’s crucial efforts to combat the climate crisis, protect our iconic wildlife, preserve sacred tribal sites and promote clean energy,” Padilla said. The new Sáttítla monument, meanwhile, ensures that the land that has “long served as the spiritual center of Pit River and the Modoc Nation” “will endure for generations to come,” Padilla said.

The Chuckwalla Monument is intended to honor tribal sovereignty by including local tribes as co-stewards, following in the footsteps of a recent wave of monuments such as Bears Ears National Monument in Utah, which is collaboratively overseen with five tribal nations.

“Protecting Chuckwalla National Monument brings the Quechan people an immense sense of peace and joy,” the Quechan Tribe of Fort Yuma said in a statement. “Bringing the tribes together as stewards of this landscape is just the beginning of much-needed healing and restoration, and we look forward to fully rebuilding our relationship with this place.”

In May, the Biden administration expanded two national monuments in California: the San Gabriel Mountains to the south and Berryessa Snow Mountain to the north. In October, Biden designated the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary along the central California coast, which will include input from local Chumash tribes on how the area is preserved.

Last year, the Yurok Tribe in Northern California also became the first indigenous people to manage tribal lands with the National Park Service under a historic memorandum of understanding signed by the tribe, Redwood National and State Parks and the nonprofit Save the Redwoods League, which is passing the land to the tribe.

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Daly reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Jaimie Ding in Los Angeles and Zeke Miller in Washington contributed to this report.