East County News Service

October 13, 2025 (Coachella) — Today, the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians, the Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe, the Cahuilla Band of Indians, the Chemehuevi Indian Tribe, and the Colorado River Indian Tribes (CRIT) announced the formation of a new Chuckwalla National Monument Intertribal Commission. The Commission reflects the connection of numerous Tribes to the landscape and their enduring commitment to protect these lands. The goal of the Commission is to ensure that Tribal values, expertise, cultural heritage, and Traditional Ecological Knowledge are incorporated into the management of the monument.

“The Chuckwalla National Monument is more than a habitat filled with trees, plants, and wildlife; for the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians, it embodies life itself, and we are intrinsically linked to it, committed to safeguarding it,” said Joseph Mirelez, Chairman of the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians. “It is our inherent role to be the stewards and guardians of these lands, and in this moment of federal government dysfunction, all the more important that we reassume it formally.”