President Obama designated almost 2 million acres of California desert as national monuments on Friday, nearly doubling the amount protected as monuments.
The designation of roughly 1.8 million acres of public land as national monuments is actually three distinct new landmarks: Mojave Trails National Monument, Sand to Snow National Monument and Castle Mountains National Monument.
“Building on the administration’s commitment to protect our land and water for future generations, today’s designations will nearly double the number of acres of public lands previously protected as national monuments by President Obama — demonstrating the administration’s strong commitment to aggressive action to protect the environment for future generations,” the White House said Friday.
“In addition to permanently protecting incredible natural resources, wildlife habitat and unique historic and cultural sites — and providing recreational opportunities for a burgeoning region — the monuments will support climate resiliency in the region and further advance the president’s unprecedented work to address climate change,” the White House statement continued.
The new monuments link other federally protected lands spanning Joshua Tree National Park, the Mojave National Preserve and 15 congressionally designated “wilderness” areas, “permanently protecting key wildlife corridors and providing plants and animals with the space and elevation range that they will need in order to adapt to the impacts of climate change,” the White House statement reads.
The Mojave Trails park gets the lion’s share of land — 1.6 million acres. It contains “a stunning mosaic of rugged mountain ranges, ancient lava flows and spectacular sand dunes,” the White House noted. It also includes Native American trading routes, WWII training camps and “the longest remaining undeveloped stretch” of the storied Route 66.
Sand to Snow, at 154,000 acres, “is an ecological and cultural treasure” that supports more than 240 bird species and a dozen threatened and endangered wildlife species. It also boasts Southern California’s tallest alpine mountain.
Castle Mountains, featuring fewer than 21,000 acres, is the smallest of the three. It will be “a critical connection between two mountain ranges, protecting water resources, plants and wildlife, such as golden eagles, bighorn sheep, mountain lions and bobcats,” the White House stated.
The administration also pointed out that renewable energy projects are underway on these public lands.
