U.S. President Barack Obama will designate three new national monuments in the California desert Friday, expanding federal protection to 1.8 million acres of landscapes in the region.
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Mojave Trails, Sand to Snow, and Castle Mountains are the 20th, 21st, and 22nd national monuments that have been created or expanded under President Obama, adding up to a total of 3.5 million acres of new protections for public lands.
Mr. Obama has now set aside 265 million acres for limits on usage, more than any other president.
“Our community offered bipartisan and strong support for the designation of the Mojave Trails, Sand to Snow, and Castle Mountains National Monuments and we’re thrilled to see these places permanently protected”. It also fills in a wedge of federal land that was left out of Mojave National Preserve in 1994 to accommodate an open-pit gold mine. National monument status protects the existing uses of these lands for outdoor enjoyment and maintains key wildlife connections between Joshua Tree and the Mojave National Preserve and wilderness areas. The new monument includes the longest undeveloped stretch of historic Route 66, a significant landmark of the American West, a 550 million year old trilobite fossil bed, and Amboy Crater, North America’s youngest volcano. The new protected lands connect to 7.6 million acres between Palm Springs and the Nevada border, existing protected lands that contain Joshua Tree National Park and the Mojave National Preserve.
Theodore Roosevelt was the first president to use the Antiquities Act to declare a national monument, protecting Devils Tower in Wyoming in 1906.
The Sand to Snow National Monument encompasses approximately 154,000 acres of federal lands, including more than 100,000 acres of Congressionally designated wilderness.
Together the monuments contain ancient lava flows, spectacular sand dunes, ancient Native American artifacts and numerous species of wildlife, including some that are endangered. “Now these places will be better protected against theft and damage of Native American objects and artifacts”.
Public lands in the California desert also have a significant impact on the region’s economy.
Castle Mountain National Monument links two mountain ranges in its almost 85 square kilometers.
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The reactions to this new monument designation have been as varied as the land itself. Almost a year ago, the President announced the launch of the Every Kid in a Park program to give every 4th grader in America free access to visit the country’s unparalleled public lands, and over the course of the next year, the Administration will continue to encourage all Americans to “find your park” and experience firsthand the wonder of America’s great outdoors. Their project is particularly focused on working with communities responding to the My Brother’s Keeper Community Challenge, a call to action by President Obama for cities, Tribal Nations, towns, and counties to build and execute robust cradle-to-college-and-career plans to ensure that all young people-no matter who they are or where they come from-can achieve their full potential. Since 1970, our lawyers, scientists, and other environmental specialists have worked to protect the world’s natural resources, public health, and the environment.
