President Barrack Obama Friday designated three new national monuments in Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
They are the Sand to Snow National Monument, Mojave Trails National Monument, and Castle Mountains National Monument, and the administration says they’ll protect approximately 1.8 million acres of landscapes, fragile wildlife habitat, historic resources and important cultural sites.
The new monuments connect Mojave National Preserve, Joshua Tree National Park, San Bernardino National Forest, and fifteen wilderness areas previously designated by Congress, creating a contiguous mass of protected lands stretching hundreds of miles.
“The monuments protect current uses of the land, including military training operations, off-highway vehicle recreation, transportation, utility corridors, and existing mining operations,” a White House statement said.
The administration said Friday’s announcement was the result of nearly two decades of leadership on the part of California’s senior senator, Democrat Diane Feinstein, “to craft legislation to protect the special places of the California desert.”
In October, senior administration officials visited Palm Springs at Feinstein’s invitation to hear from the community about its stance on conservation in the California desert.
“Supporters of protecting these areas include local counties and cities, area business groups, tribes, hunters, anglers, faith-based organizations, recreationists, local land trusts and conservation groups, and students from local schools,” the statement said.
The national monuments, comprised exclusively of existing federal lands, will be managed by the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management and National Park Service and by the Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service.
The Sand to Snow National Monument encompasses approximately 154,000 acres of federal lands, including more than 100,000 acres of Congressionally designated wilderness. Rising from the floor of the Sonoran Desert to San Gorgonio Peak, the tallest in southern California, the monument includes lush desert oases, significant archeological sites, and 30 miles of the world-famous Pacific Crest Trail.
The Mojave Trails National Monument spans 1.6 million acres of federal lands, including more than 350,000 acres of already Congressionally designated wilderness. It forms a mosaic of rugged mountain ranges, ancient lava flows, and spectacular sand dunes. The monument contains the longest remaining undeveloped stretch of Route 66 and some well-preserved sites from the World War II-era Desert Training Center.
Connecting the Mojave National Preserve with Joshua Tree National Park, the Mojave Trails National Monument “ensures the biological connectivity of this landscape while preserving traditional uses such hunting and off-highway vehicle recreation.” the statement said.
The Castle Mountains National Monument consists of approximately 21,000 acres of federal land surrounded by the existing Mojave National Preserve and will be managed by the National Park Service. An integral piece of the Mojave Desert, the area has important flora, fauna, water, and historic resources, and its designation as a national monument helps to preserve related resources set aside for protection in the Preserve, according to the statement.
“The monument has some of the finest Joshua tree forest and native desert grassland in the Mojave Desert and contains important cultural resources including Native American archeological sites and vestiges of mining, ranching, and the railroad from the period of western expansion,” it said.
Today’s announcement brings to 22 the number of national monuments established by Obama under the Antiquities Act.
“Altogether, President Obama has protected more than 265 million acres of public lands and waters — more than any other President — and has preserved sites that help tell the story of significant people and extraordinary events in American history,” said the White House statement.
—City News Service