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Today, President Biden designated Chuckwalla National Monument. I was invited to the ceremony this morning in Chuckwalla, which sadly got canceled due to dangerous weather. This is a huge and important conservation win, and one that's super personal to me. (thread) (photo by me, in Chuckwalla)

This is a project I've worked on for years now. Both in my role at Flickr, and with my board position with The Conservation Alliance. My first visit to Chuckwalla changed my life, and I was determined to do anything I could to secure protections.

In my many visits to DC to advocate for protections, I made the bold promise to @repraulruizmd.bsky.social directly that I would get a Chuckwalla lizard tattoo if we made it. Congressman Ruiz, I hoped to show you today!

This is such a huge win. 644,000 (!!!!) acres protected in Chuckwalla National Monument. These lands are part of the sacred homelands of the Cahuilla, Chemehuevi, Mohave, Quechan and Serrano tribes. It also expands Joshua Tree National Park by 16,000 acres!