Washington D.C.– This week, the Biden-Harris administration took historic steps to work with and support Tribal Nations and Native Communities. Today, during the White House Tribal Nations Summit, the administration announced the designation of the Carlisle Federal Indian Boarding School National Monument in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, to recognize the terrible legacy of the federal Indian boarding school program. Additionally, on Saturday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture held a community meeting, an important step toward designation, for the proposed Sáttítla National Monument in the Medicine Lake Highlands of Northern California. In response to these actions, the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) released the following statement from Gene Karpinski, LCV President:

“Today’s designation of the Carlisle Federal Indian Boarding School National Monument highlights the Biden-Harris administration’s commitment to engaging with Tribes and acknowledges the tragic history and legacy of the federal Indian boarding school program that operated in this country for more than 150 years. During that time, thousands of American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian children were separated from their families, Tribes, and homelands, and stripped of their languages, religions, and cultures. We applaud President Biden and Secretary Haaland for ensuring our national monuments help tell a more complete story of our nation’s history.

Additionally, Saturday’s community meeting on the proposed Sáttítla National Monument, which would protect lands and waters with immense cultural significance for the Pit River Tribe, further underscores the administration’s commitment to safeguarding sacred landscapes, and protecting public lands for generations to come. We applaud the Biden-Harris administration’s continued commitment to honoring our nation’s Tribes and we urge President Biden to build on his unprecedented conservation legacy and establish Sáttítla National Monument.”

###