The declarations bar oil and natural gas drilling, as well as mining and other exploration and production initiatives, on the 624,000-acre Chuckwalla site, and 225,000-acre Sáttítla site.

Protecting two different desert ecosystems, Joshua Tree National Park is minutes from Palm Springs. Conveniently located off Interstate 10, this is an easy national park to drive through. So you can explore this site on a road trip when you drive one way through the park.

In the face of threats of climate change and habitat loss, a new national monument will protect critical habitat, promote equitable access to nature, and preserve the desert's rich cultural history.

Biden signed proclamations designating a monument in Southern California's and another in far northern California.

Protected areas south of Joshua Tree National Park and east of Mount Shasta cement conservation legacy in California.

The move bans oil and gas drilling, mining, and other industrial activities on vast swaths of public land in California.

**Biden Designates Two California National Monuments in Last Week**

Proclamations set to be signed Tuesday will create the Chuckwalla National Monument in Southern California near Joshua Tree National Park and the Sáttítla National Monument in Northern California.

One protects a highly varied forested area near the Oregon border known for its volcanic activity, and another protects a large swath of desert near Joshua Tree National Park.