The Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument, within which the proposed land exchange is considered, was established in 2000 to preserve this special area and secure it for future generations. The Tribe has been a management partner in the Monument since the beginning and continues to be an active partner. The exchange, which has been in the works for 13 years, fulfills the 1999 agreement between Agua Caliente and the BLM to manage lands within the Monument in a cooperative and coordinated manner.

Concerns have been raised about the fairness of this proposal -- that the Tribe is getting a “deal” by trading 1,470 acres for 5,799 acres. The truth is that federal law prohibits any land exchange that doesn’t meet standards of parity and fairness. How much land gets exchanged will be based on the appraised value of the lands. Up to 5,799 acres of rugged BLM land could be exchanged for up to 1,470 acres of gently rolling and accessible Tribal land. The Tribe’s longstanding land management philosophy is nearly identical to the BLM except oversight is local, right here in the Coachella Valley. Much of the area is already out of the public domain including portions of some trails that have been enjoyed by locals and visitors for many generations. Let’s not forget the Tribe and its members are also locals who enjoy the trail system too. The Tribe and its members have for generations known every rock, plant and animal in this area and respected them and their role in our shared environment.

Regarding the trails within the exchange, relatively little of them are in BLM control today, and of those few that are part of the exchange, the Tribe has demonstrated an excellent record of trail maintenance and access.