Congress, which in December passed legislation that created a number of new national park units, is now being asked to expand by 75,000 acres the Mojave National Preserve as well as Death Valley and Joshua Tree national parks, while also being called upon to create two new national monuments.

In legislation introduced Monday, U.S. Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer are working to build upon a landscape-level legacy for the California desert that began more than 20 years ago through their California Desert Conservation and Recreation Act. 

“This piece of legislation is the final chapter in a long effort to preserve one of the most magnificent landscapes in the United States,” Sen. Feinstein said. “We must ensure that critical parts of the California desert—with its mountain vistas, bighorn sheep, mule deer, desert tortoises, Joshua trees, Native American petroglyphs and much more—will be protected for all time.”

The Act if enacted would provide new and expanded wilderness area designations, as well as provide Wild and Scenic River protections to the Whitewater River, Deep Creek, and the Amargosa River – crucial waterways for the California desert. Areas of cultural and historic significance, including Flat Top Mesa and Black Lava Butte, are also included in the legislation.

“The California Desert Conservation and Recreation Act provides the chance for Congress to achieve unparalleled success in landscape-level protections for our diverse national parks and public lands that stand to have far-reaching economic and ecological benefits,” said Seth Shteir, California Desert field representative for the National Parks Conservation Association. “The past 20 years have marked an incredible change in the way Americans and international audiences appreciate and recreate in our desert landscapes. Passing this legislation would be a gift with far-reaching benefits for our communities, international visitors, and the wildlife and wild places found only in this region.”

Mark Butler, a former superintendent of Joshua Tree National Park, said the senators' legislation has "gained widespread support from conservationists, off-road vehicle enthusiasts, veterans, national park visitors, businesses and others who all would like to see desert-based land-use conflicts resolved. Now is the time for our elected representatives to come together and pass this legislation."

According to NPCA's analysis of the bill, it would increase tourism-related economic benefits and support jobs throughout the region. In 2013, a combined 2,884,000 visitors to Joshua Tree National Park, Death Valley National Park and Mojave National Preserve alone infused surrounding communities with upwards of $168 million in visitor spending, which supported more than 2,000 local jobs.

“Protecting our public lands is an investment in our future. This new bill will make the California desert a destination for tourists throughout the state, nation and the world,” said Bob Leone, member of the Yucca Valley Town Council. “I know from experience that visitors to Joshua Tree National Park and other public lands surrounding our town play a critical role in supporting many of our yucca valley businesses. Many communities in the desert area will reap the benefits of the designation of new monuments, wilderness areas, national park additions and the permanent protection of places where people can legally ride off road vehicles and take part in many other recreational activities."

The California Desert Protection Act, championed by then-freshmen Senator Dianne Feinstein and signed into law by President Clinton in October of 1994, marked the largest landscape protection victory in the lower 48 states and ushered in a new era of opportunities for the California desert and surrounding communities. The legislation designated Mojave National Preserve, enhanced acreage and elevated Joshua Tree and Death Valley from national monuments to national parks.

According to Sen. Feinstein's website, the legislation would:

• Create two new national monuments:
• The Mojave Trails National Monument, which would encompass 965,000 acres of land, including former Catellus-owned lands that were donated to the U.S. government with the intention of preservation.
• The Sand to Snow National Monument, which would encompass 135,000 acres of land from the desert floor in Coachella Valley to the peak of Mount San Gorgonio.
• Designate six new Bureau of Land Management (BLM) wilderness areas covering 250,000 acres.
• Designate 18,610 acres of BLM land in Inyo County as the Alabama Hills National Scenic Area, preserving it for continued recreational use.
• Designate 77 miles of waterways as Wild and Scenic Rivers.
• Add acreage to Death Valley National Park (39,000 acres), Joshua Tree National Park (4,500 acres) and the Mojave National Preserve (22,000 acres).
• Designate five existing BLM Off-Highway Vehicle areas (covering approximately 142,000 acres of California desert) as permanent Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) recreation areas, providing off-highway enthusiasts certainty that these uses of the desert will be protected in a manner similar to conservation areas.
• Provide a balanced approach to renewable energy development through several provisions. For example, the bill:
• encourages the development of new renewable energy in solar zones established by the federal government, avoiding conflicts over lands long intended for conservation;
• requires the exchange of hundreds of thousands of acres of isolated state parcels currently surrounded by national parks and wilderness, providing the state with lands that could be used for renewable energy, recreation or conservation; and
• allows for upgrades to transmission lines necessary to bring clean energy from new desert solar and wind farms to urban areas, while still protecting pristine landscapes.
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