Kw'tsán

Proposed National ParkCalifornia
Picacho State Recreation Area on the Colorado RiverPhotograph: Shortride, CC BY-SA 3.0
All proposed National ParksKw'tsánNo active campaign
Location
California
Current protection
Bureau of Land Management lands, including the Picacho Peak Wilderness and the Indian Pass area
Status
Tribal BLM monument campaign; no National Park campaign
Tier
Tier 2 · National Monument
In the book
Not featured in Undiscovered America

Why should it be a National Park?

Kw'tsán is the heart of the Quechan homeland, about 390,000 acres of Sonoran Desert mountains and washes along the Colorado River in Imperial County, where the Chocolate Mountains, Picacho Peak, and Pilot Knob rise over the desert. Geoglyphs, trails, and sacred sites cover the land, among them the Singer Geoglyphs and the Indian Pass area.

The Quechan stopped a gold mine at Indian Pass in the early 2000s and have asked to protect the rest. A park here, stewarded by the tribe the way Canyon de Chelly is, would be one of the finest in the desert Southwest.

The history of National Park Campaigns

The Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe has fought for this land for decades, most famously blocking the Glamis gold mine near Indian Pass in the early 2000s. On February 1, 2024, the tribe asked President Biden to protect more than 390,000 acres as the Kw'tsán National Monument, and the National Congress of American Indians endorsed it that fall. Biden designated the adjoining Chuckwalla National Monument in January 2025, but not Kw'tsán.

Distinct National Park attempts
0
Other designation attempts
1 (2024 to present tribal monument campaign)

Sources

  • Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe, press release (February 1, 2024)
  • KPBS, "Tribes push for 3 new national monuments across California" (2024)
  • protectkwtsan.org
Know of a campaign? Tell us
  1. Early 2000s

    The tribe blocks the Glamis gold mine near the sacred Indian Pass.

  2. February 1, 2024

    The Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe launches the campaign for Kw'tsán National Monument.

  3. March 21, 2024

    The BLM rejects a mining exploration proposal on the land.

  4. November 1, 2024

    The National Congress of American Indians endorses the monument.

  5. January 2025

    Biden designates the neighboring Chuckwalla National Monument; Kw'tsán is left out.