Great Bend of the Gila National Monument Establishment Act

Great Bend of the Gila National Monument Establishment Act

This bill establishes the Great Bend of the Gila National Monument in Arizona.

The Department of the Interior shall manage the Monument as part of the National Landscape Conservation System to maintain its undeveloped character and to protect and restore its cultural resources, species, and ecosystems.

Interior shall conduct an inventory of invasive plant species in the Monument.

Interior may carry out vegetation management treatments within the Monument, including efforts to control salt cedar and other invasive plant species.

The bill permits grazing within the Monument where it is already established.

Interior shall develop a management plan for the Monument in government-to-government consultation with Indian tribes having a cultural or historic tie to the Great Bend of the Gila.

The Monument may continue to be used by tribe members for traditional ceremonies and as a source of traditional plants and other materials.

Interior shall allow scientific research within the Monument, including research for the preservation of its historic and cultural resources.

Interior may conduct, or authorize other persons to conduct, research regarding the effects of climate change on the Monument's resources.

The bill prohibits renewable energy and transmission development projects in the Monument.

Interior shall establish the Great Bend of the Gila National Monument Advisory Council to advise on the management plan and salt cedar/tamarisk removal.