Obama grants monument status to nearly 2 million acres across Calif. desert
US News
Obama grants monument status to nearly 2 million acres across Calif. desert
President Obama granted national monument status Friday to nearly 1.8 million acres of scenic Southern California desert. Obama, in California this week for a fundraising swing, signed proclamations establishing three regions as national monuments — Mojave Trails, Castle Mountains (both in the Mojave Desert) and Sand to Snow in the Sonoran Desert. The White House says the designations will nearly double the amount of public land that Obama has designated for national monument status since taking office.
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…
White House statement
Castle Mountains National Monument, in the Mojave Desert, links two mountain ranges. Sand to Snow National Monument rises from the floor of the Sonoran Desert to the 11,503-foot peak of Mount San Gorgonio, Southern California’s tallest alpine peak. Its diverse landscape includes the headwaters of the state’s Santa Ana and Whitewater rivers and is home to 240 species of birds and 12 endangered or threatened species of wildlife. It also contains an estimated 1,700 Native American petroglyphs and 30 miles of the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail.
