In a move that protects a large portion of the Mojave Desert, President Obama is declaring 3 new national monuments,Mojave Trails, Sand to Snow and Castle Mountains, his first monuments for the year. the monuments set a number of milestones for Obama and the state of California.
First: Mojave Trails is by far Obama’s largest monument to date, covering 1.6M acres. it is more than twice the size of Obama’s second largest monument, Basin and Range in Nevada, which was just over 700000 acres. It is the third largest monument ever created in the Lower 48, exceeded only by Grand Staircase and Death Vally (which were 1.7M and 1.9M , respectively, when created). This monument conserves, among other things, the largest remaining intact section of Route 66. It is the first monument of Obama to top 1M acres in size.
Second, These 3 new monuments, give Obama 22 uses of the Antiquities Act, tying him with Clinton’s total for second most among presidents . FDR used the Act 28 times, although in 12+ years. Obama has created 20 new monuments and expanded 2 others. he is the first president to create 20 distinct monuments. Clinton had created 19 monuments in his tenure, along with 3 expansions. FDR created 11 monuments and expanded 17 others.
Third, these 3 monuments give California 15 monuments, moving them past New Mexico-which has 14- into second place among the states. Only Arizona’s 18 outstrip California.
the monuments create an interconnected web of federally protected land connecting the San Bernardino Forest, Joshua Tree National Park and the Mojave National Preserve. Castle Mountains lies in a gap between the Mojave Preserve and the border with Nevada. at 21000 acres, it is the smallest of the 3 new monuments, and is one of the smaller monuments in the state. Sand To Snow lies within the San Bernardino Forest and stretches out to include desert near Palm Springs. It will cover 154000 acres and connect the Forest to Joshua Tree National Park. Mojave Trails, the behemoth of the three, will connect Mojave Preserve and Joshua Tree National Park ‘ The ‘holes’ in the monument are existing cities and suburbs.
It should almost go without saying that I strongly support this move and I expect Obama to set aside many more monuments before he leaves office. If I may recommend a location, Mr President? Bristol Bay in Alaska. Make Mojave Trails look like a postage stamp in size by comparison, and preserve the salmon and their habitat- and the jobs they sustain- forever.