New High Desert National Monuments- Thanks, Obama!

Through the great efforts of Dianne Feinstein (CA Senator) and a cadre of advocates from conservation orgs to citizen inputs, California has THREE more public land areas that will be protected from the adverse effects of development, extraction or high-impact activities to enhance and preserve for natural recreational experiences far into the future. Despite not being able to push the California Desert Conservation and Recreation Act legislation through last year, Feinstein continued her push in concert with conservation orgs across the southwest (including California Wilderness Coalition and Friends Of Joshua Tree) and asked the POTUS to make the unilateral act to designate the protections under the 1904 National Antiquities Act.

Sand to Snow National Monument, Castle Mountains National Monument, and Mojave Trails National Monument are now part of California’s (and the USA’s) increased bounty of recreationally relevant protected public lands.

This Map is from her earlier proposals (March 2015) worth a gander… (overview of Desert Bill proposed protection)

Thanks Senator Feinstein!