Drive about 45 minutes southwest of the Phoenix Valley, and you will reach an expanse of the Sonoran desert with a long, rich history.

The Gila River runs through this area, which was once lush with flora and fauna. Now, with the river dammed up, the water doesn't always flow. Nonetheless, the region is still home to an abundance of people, wildlife and historical treasures. These three aspects are what locals, archaeologists, and biologists hope to preserve as a national monument.

The Great Bend of the Gila, as the monument would be named, is a network of braided rivulets. These streams join into the Gila River, which cuts through prehistoric lava fields and flows past nearby mountain ranges before joining the Colorado River near the Sea of Cortez.

Respect Great Bend of the Gila is the campaign pushing President Joe Biden to sign this area into national monument status. The campaign includes local tribes, wildlife biologists and archeologists. The proposed monument boundaries are about 70 miles of the Gila River corridor and approximately 370,000 acres of public land.

In this episode of Valley 101, we hear from representatives of each of these groups. They share the history, discoveries and importance of the Gila River region to Arizonans and the nation.

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