The Great Bend of the Gila proposal is unique in terms of planning process and vision, both of which are linked to Indigenous Peoples’ values, preferences, and interests. A key component of this monument proposal is ongoing engagement with Tribes as to how to best manage these lands.

A study from this past decade found that current operation and visitor spending associated with the Great Bend of the Gila (GBG) area in Arizona’s Maricopa and Yuma Counties provides benefits to the local economy and generates tax revenue for local governments. Many local elected officials and stakeholders support the GBG area for greater protections because of the quality-of-life and economic benefits designation could provide.

Designation as a national monument will expand awareness of the extraordinary historical and cultural resources contained in the proposal area, thereby drawing interest and visitation. Changes in visitation and tourism expenditures are especially important in rural areas such as the Gila Bend region, where people may be particularly reliant on income derived from tourism. Further, monument designations direct land management to be preservation focused, which leads to high-quality backcountry recreational experiences. Wilderness designation is particularly suited to providing opportunities for solitude and quiet recreation.

The Great Bend of the Gila is part of the Sonoran Desert, which ranks first in biodiversity among the deserts of North America. The landscape serves as core habitat for species such as the endangered Sonoran pronghorn, mule deer, Desert bighorn sheep, javelina, Le Conte’s thrasher, and others. These desert-adapted species require large habitat areas to survive. As urban development has fragmented and destroyed habitat, and as climate change alters the ecological functioning of the area, these species also require connectivity across the landscape—to access water sources, to follow forage or mates, and to escape human pressures.

For a millennium, people took advantage of the Gila’s reliable water and fertile soils. They cultivated fields of corn, beans, and melons, and later they would also grow wheat. Archaeological surveys have documented year-round settlement and floodwater farming beginning as early as 675 CE. There is archaeological evidence of people being in the region going back to about 13,000 BCE. Signs of this deep and meaningful history—petroglyphs, geoglyphs, settlements, trails—lay bare for all to see. But this visibility is also a vulnerability, and these places are constantly threatened with vandalism, defacement, and outright destruction. Respectful and permanent protection means deterring these threats so that this legacy on the land remains for us to appreciate and learn from well into the future.

Local communities, Tribes, conservationists, and elected officials have long recognized the need to protect these lands, and they have advocated for greater protections for this region. Although the specific initiatives and boundaries have changed slightly over time, the values themselves and the goal of permanent protection have remained constant.