Five things to take away from the expansion of San Gabriel Mountains monument

After 10 years, President Joe Biden expanded the size of the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument on Thursday, May 2, adding about 110,000 acres.

There’s a lot to mention about adding federal Angeles National Forest lands to the monument. From animals to antiquity to awareness to aviary species. And that’s just the A’s.

Below are five notable things:

1. Some of the rare animals you may see: California Condor, Southwestern Arroyo Toad, Bighorn Sheep and Santa Ana Sucker fish
2. The addition will bring about 757,000 more people—more than 60 percent of whom are nonwhite — within 5 miles of the monument
3. The power to preserve lands for cultural resources and habitat preservation is granted to the Executive Branch of government by the Antiquities Act of 1906. This was used by Biden, and in 2014, by President Barack Obama to designate the original SGM National Monument.
4. Go and take a hike on the Gabrielino Trail, off Highway 2, which started centuries ago as a trade route used by Native American tribes who lived in the monument lands.
5. Explore the Upper Arroyo Seco, north of JPL, which today has rainbow trout swimming in its cold, fresh waters. These fish are a cousin — so to speak — of the Southern Steelhead trout, recently named as an endangered species by the California EPA.