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Making Castner Range a National Monument Would Help Nature-Deprived Communities
22 September 2022

Making Castner Range a National Monument Would Help Nature-Deprived Communities


Publishers: Hispanic Access Foundation
Author: Hispanic Access Foundation
Topics: Antiquities Act, Climate Change
Geographic Focus: Texas

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Over the past half-century, the majority Latino and low-income community in El Paso, Texas, has advocated for protecting the historically and ecologically vital lands of Castner Range. Now, the community is calling on President Joe Biden to designate the area as a national monument.

A new analysis commissioned by the Hispanic Access Foundation and the Center for American Progress finds that the people living near Castner Range experience high levels of nature deprivation—and the vast majority of communities of color and low-income communities in the region are experiencing nature loss at rates higher than the national average. Designating the site as a national monument would significantly help close the nature gap while protecting an essential outdoor space for the area’s population and delivering on the president’s ambitious conservation and environmental justice commitments.

This issue brief details the findings of the analysis—including findings on race and ethnicity, income, and household composition—to illustrate why it is critical to close the nature gap in the area surrounding Castner Range and preserve its cultural and historical significance.

This is also available in Spanish.

Last modified on 22 September 2022