Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto introduced a bill this week that would create a new national monument in her home state of Nevada.
The legislation would establish the 25,000-acre Bahsahwahbee National Monument in the eastern part of the state, preserving the site of three 19th century massacres of the Newe people. One of them resulted in the deaths of roughly 525 men, women and children, making it among the largest massacres of Native Americans in U.S. history.
Cortez Masto said her bill would protect the sacred site, along with an area known as the Swamp Cedars, a unique grove of juniper trees where tribes still gather.
“We have a responsibility to protect this landscape and honor the memory of those killed in the massacres in Eastern Nevada, and I’ll continue working with all local tribes and communities to ensure we can best support and preserve this sacred place,” she said.
