Nevada’s 5th national monument? Cortez Masto’s bill could make it so

The Nevada site of three bloody Native American massacres could be on its way to a national monument designation.

With the introduction of a bill by U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., congressional approval could be in the near future for a coalition of tribes that have advocated for a federal distinction for Bahsahwahbee, also known as Swamp Cedars.

A news release calls the site “a place of religious gathering comparable to the Vatican, a place of genocide too similar to Auschwitz, and a mass graveyard not unlike Arlington National Cemetery.”

The Nevada Legislature passed a resolution of support for the monument designation in 2021.

“It’s time our place of reverence and mourning at Bahsahwahbee gets the highest recognition and respect by inclusion in the National Park System,” Alvin Marques, chairman of the Ely Shoshone Tribe, said in a statement. “Thanks to Senator Cortez Masto’s introduction of legislation, we are closer than ever, but time is running out for action.”

Bringing the fight to Congress

The Antiquities Act of 1906 allows the president to declare national monuments, protecting swaths of federally owned land from development. President Joe Biden designated Avi Kwa Ame as Nevada’s fourth national monument last March after pressure from tribal advocates.

Another route is Congress.

Cortez Masto’s bill would establish an official designation of Bahsahwahbee as a national monument, and it calls on Interior Secretary Deb Haaland to form an advisory committee of tribal members for the area’s management.

It also stipulates that existing public access, grazing, water rights and transportation or utility routes would be unaffected, with the exception of days where the lands would be closed for tribes to use them for a cultural purpose. Cortez Masto visited the site last summer, as did Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev.

Cortez Masto said she will continue to apply pressure on the Biden-Harris administration to designate Bahsahwahbee — a move that would circumvent the need for congressional approval.

“We have a responsibility to protect this landscape and honor the memory of those killed in the massacres in Eastern Nevada,” the senator said in a statement. “I’ll continue working with all local Tribes and communities to ensure we can best support and preserve this sacred place.”

Contact Alan Halaly at ahalaly@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlanHalaly on X.