Proclamation 10533-Establishment of the Avi Kwa Ame National Monument

Proclamation 10533 establishes the Avi Kwa Ame National Monument in southern Nevada, protecting approximately 506,814 acres of federal lands that hold deep cultural, spiritual, and ecological significance for multiple Indigenous tribes, particularly the Fort Mojave Indian Tribe. The area contains numerous sites of historic and scientific importance, including ancient trails, rock art, springs, and diverse high desert ecosystems. The monument designation restricts extractive uses, including mining, within the protected area.

The proclamation directly affects the tribes whose ancestral territories are within the monument, the Bureau of Land Management and other federal agencies that manage the area, recreational users, mining companies with claims in the region, and local communities in Clark and Lincoln counties, Nevada. Conservation groups and tribal nations had long advocated for the monument's establishment.

The legal authority for this proclamation is the Antiquities Act of 1906, which authorizes the President to protect objects of historic or scientific interest on federal lands. Large-scale monument designations under the Antiquities Act have been upheld by courts, though their scope continues to be debated, with some arguing that monuments of this size exceed what the Antiquities Act contemplated.

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