Washington, D.C. – In response to Interior Secretary Deb Haaland’s visit to the proposed Castner Range national monument, the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) issued the following statement from President Gene Karpinski:

“Secretary Haaland’s visit to Castner Range is a big deal for locally-led conservation efforts, building on the leadership of Congresswoman Escobar and the El Paso community which has worked for half a century to protect the environmental and cultural resources that date back 10,000 years. 

“Designating Castner Range as a national monument would honor its historical significance for Native Americans, veterans, and the world’s largest binational community as well as create more opportunities to expand equitable access to green spaces. A national monument designation would also help ensure the community has access to clean water, protect the area’s endemic rare and endangered species, and preserve fragile lands already surrounded on three sides by development. With less than eight years to fulfill the promise to protect 30 percent of our lands and waters by 2030, the Biden-Harris administration should move quickly to designate Castner Range a national monument through the powers granted under the Antiquities Act.”

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