HECHO Statement: It’s Time to Permanently Protect the Great Bend of the Gila by Designating It as a National Monument

Hispanics Enjoying Camping, Hunting, and the Outdoors (HECHO) strongly supports the permanent protection of the Great Bend of the Gila and applauds Representative (AZ) Raúl Grijalva and co-sponsors, Representative Jared Huffman (CA), Representative André Carson (IN), Representative Melanie Stansbury (NM), Representative Dina Titus (NV), Representative Earl Blumenauer (OR), and Representative Joe Neguse (CO), for introducing today the Great Bend of the Gila National Monument Establishment Act to protect this precious landscape in southwest Arizona.  

“The Great Bend of the Gila has tremendous cultural, historical, and ecological significance. Indigenous people have called this region home for millennia. At least 13 federally recognized Tribes maintain spiritual and cultural connections to this land. History is written all over this precious landscape. There are tens of thousands of petroglyphs by Native Americans, Spaniards, Mexicans, and Euro-Americans,” says Camilla Simon, HECHO executive director. “Unfortunately, this beautiful and culturally rich region of the Sonoran Desert is threatened by vandalism, target shooting, urban expansion, and development. It is time to protect it permanently as a national monument.” 

The Sonoran Desert ranks first in biodiversity among the deserts of the United States. The Great Bend of the Gila provides critical habitat and connectivity for wildlife, including the endangered Sonoran pronghorn, mule deer, Desert bighorn sheep, javelina, Le Conte’s thrasher, and others.  

“Besides its cultural, historical, and ecological value, there is so much the Great Bend of the Gila has to offer for local residents and visitors. It is a living landscape from which we can learn so much and a natural beauty we can enjoy. Protecting the Great Bend of the Gila means protecting and expanding recreational opportunities for people to connect to nature while diversifying and boosting local economies, both of which benefit the community,” says Adriana García Maximiliano, HECHO HCLC member.