President Biden on Tuesday designated two new national monuments in Nevada and Texas.

Biden designated Nevada’s Avi Kwa Ame, also known as Spirit Mountain, and Texas’s Castner Range as monuments, protecting a total of nearly 514,000 acres of public lands from development.

Biden announced the proclamations during a conservation summit held at the Interior Department. He did not sign the proclamations on stage, but they were sent out by the White House ahead of his speech. Biden also said he’s issuing a memo to consider designating additional protections around a marine monument that’s southwest of Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean.

“When we conserve our country’s natural gifts, we’re not just protecting the livelihoods of people who depend on them … we’re protecting the heart and the soul of our national pride,” Biden said, adding that it’s also “telling our story that will be told for generations upon generations to come.”

Avi Kwa Ame is part of the creation story of many tribes and is sacred to indigenous groups including the Mojave, […]