Biden designates two new national monuments in California

• It comes after tribal nations and environmental advocates urged Biden to take swift action ahead of President-elect Trump's inauguration.

State of play: The Sáttítla Highlands National Monument, located north of the Bay Area, covers over 224,000 acres of land, including a dormant volcano and one of the longest lava tube systems in the world.

• The site is the ancestral homelands of the Pit River Tribe and Modoc Peoples, which rely on the land's aquifers for drinking water and fisheries.
• The Chuckwalla National Monument covers more than 624,000 acres south of Joshua Tree National Park. It encompasses sacred sites significant to multiple Indigenous groups, including the Cahuilla, Chemehuevi, Mojave, Quechan, Serrano Nations.
• It's also home to over 50 rare species of animals and plants, ranging from the desert bighorn sheep and Agassiz's desert tortoise to the Chuckwalla lizard.

What they're saying: "We could not be more excited that federal leaders are hearing our call to protect these sacred lands," Brandy McDaniels, Sáttítla National Monument lead for the Pit River Nation, said in a statement.

• "We have many diverse voices that are passionate about protecting what makes this region unique and following decades of defending our ancestral homelands, the Pit River Nation welcomes the news that our voices and the voices of our Ancestors are finally being heard," McDaniels said.