MDLT Applauds Public Event To Engage Community On Desert Monument Proposal

For Immediate Release
October 7, 2015
Contact: Shauna Tucker
760.366.5440
shauna@mojavedesertlandtrust.org

Mojave Desert Land Trust Applauds Public Event To Engage Community On Desert Monument Proposal

Joshua Tree – The Mojave Desert Land Trust (MDLT) is applauding the announcement that Senator Dianne Feinstein will host a public meeting to discuss the proposed Mojave Trails, Sand to Snow, and Castle Mountains National Monument designations. Monument status would provide long-term protections for more than one million acres of Mojave Desert lands, which hold significant biological, cultural and historical significance.

The meeting will take place on Tuesday, October 13, 2015 at Whitewater Preserve, located at 9160 Whitewater Canyon Road, Whitewater, CA 92282.For more information, transportation opportunities and directions to the event please visit the Campaign for the California Desert website: www.californiadesert.org.

In response to this announcement, MDLT Executive Director Danielle Segura issues the following statement of support:

“Mojave Desert Land Trust, its members, and supporters are invested in the protection of our treasured desert lands. Monument status will ensure that MDLT’s commitment to protecting the extraordinary and one-of-a-kind resources in the Mojave Desert is secure and that opportunities for critical scientific discovery, wildlife connectivity and uninterrupted landscape vistas to enjoy will remain intact. The public meeting is an important forum for engaging the community in a meaningful dialogue and we encourage all to attend.”

MDLT’s 3,330 acre Hidden Valley property is just one of many important areas that will benefit from Monument protection. Accessible from Route 66, this wide open space is a core area for Bighorn Sheep, serving as a repository that can send out sheep to populate surrounding mountain ranges. It also serves as nesting and foraging habitat for golden eagles and for habitat connectivity for the desert tortoise between designated critical habitat units.

Additional Descriptions of the Proposed National Monuments:

The proposed Mojave Trails National Monument would preserve striking desert lands linking Joshua Tree National Park and the Mojave National Preserve. It features the most intact stretch of historic Route 66, a significant landmark in the geography of California and the American West. The lands in the proposed National Monument are habitat for desert tortoises and bighorn sheep and hold archeological and scientific wonders, including 550 million-year-old fossils in the Marble Mountains Fossil Beds. National monument status would protect existing uses of these lands for outdoor recreation, visiting Route 66, exploring geology, and preserving wildlife corridors between national parks and wilderness areas.

The proposed Sand to Snow National Monument rises from the Sonoran Desert floor to the top of southern California’s tallest mountain, Mount San Gorgonio. It contains a rich tapestry of landscapes and habitats including alpine peaks, Joshua tree woodlands, mountain vistas, rivers and wetlands, and desert. These lands also hold 25 miles of the iconic Pacific Crest Trail and the headwaters of southern California’s longest river, the Santa Ana, as well as the headwaters of the Whitewater River. Recreational opportunities in the proposed Sand to Snow National Monument include hiking, horseback riding, backpacking, fishing and bird watching. At higher elevations, outdoor enthusiasts enjoy snowshoeing, cross country skiing, and hiking along the Pacific Crest Trail. National monument status would protect these existing uses.

The proposed Castle Mountains National Monument includes rocky peaks, native desert grasslands, Joshua trees, and piñon pine and juniper forests. It offers stunning vistas of the California and Nevada desert mountain ranges, including a view of Nevada’s Spirit Mountain, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a location revered by numerous southwestern Native American tribes. The proposed Castle Mountains National Monument includes rich cultural and historical resources, such as Native American archaeological sites and the historic gold mining ghost town of Hart. The area is also rich with wildlife, such as golden eagles, bighorn sheep, mountain lions and bobcats.

For more information about the benefits that will accrue to the region if President Obama supports Senator Feinstein’s request, and for a local perspective on the importance of this effort, contact Shauna Tucker at shauna@mojavedesertlandtrust.org, or 760-366-5440.

Mojave Desert Land Trust is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to protect the Mojave Desert ecosystem and its scenic and cultural resource values through acquisition, land stewardship and strategic partnerships. Since 2006 the organization has protected over 54,000 acres of desert land.