Arizona may receive new national monument

The area surrounding the Gila River, the second-longest river in Arizona, is rich in history, with an abundance of people, wildlife, and national treasures.

Archeologists, locals and biologists are trying to preserve these aspects by making this expanse of the Sonoran desert, only 45 minutes southwest of Phoenix, a national monument.

Kaely Monahan, of “The Arizona Republic,” and Mike Quigley, Arizona State Director of The Wilderness Society, joined “Arizona Horizon” to discuss the logistics of the Great Bend of the Gila becoming a national monument.

“Generally you’re looking at traditional Sonoran desert landscape,” Quigley said. “It is a little sparse because it doesn’t get a lot of rain.” Quigley added, “An interesting escarpment, which is about a 150-foot cliff-like feature right along the river between Buckeye and Gila bend west of highway 85, and that escarpment is rich with petroglyphs and other cultural historical markers.”

Monahan outlined the benefits of making this area a national monument.” The history goes back 11,000 years,” Monahan said. Multiple ancient tribes inhabited this land, such as the Hohokam.

“To protect this area with a national monument would protect it from encroachment from the city or business interests and protect the wildlife as well,” Monahan said.

Quigley added the land is currently considered federal land under the control of the Bureau of Land Management.

“A national monument designation would highlight for them that the best use of this particular landscape is conservation,” Quigley said. “The threats are mostly vandalism, particularly for the historical sites the petroglyphs and geoglyphs. Whether it is intentional or unintentional, the damage is still done.”