New National Monument in the Works in California

Mojave Desert National Monuments in the Works

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) says she plans to introduce legislation today to establish two national monuments on roughly 1 million acres of Mojave Desert outback that is home to bighorn sheep and desert tortoises, extinct volcanoes, sand dunes and ancient petroglyphs.

Its centerpiece, Mojave Trails National Monument, would prohibit development on 941,000 acres of federal land and former railroad company property along a 105-mile stretch of old Route 66, between Ludlow and Needles.


The smaller Sand to Snow National Monument, about 45 miles east of Riverside, would cover about 134,000 acres of federal land between Joshua Tree National Park and the San Bernardino National Forest in San Bernardino and Riverside counties. Its diverse habitats range from desert scrub to yellow pine forests 9,000 feet above sea level.

The legislation, which had been delayed by efforts to resolve conflicts among environmentalists, off-roaders and renewable energy interests, would also designate 250,000 acres of public land near the Army's training center at Ft. Irwin as wilderness; add 41,000 acres to the southern boundary of Death Valley National Park and add 2,900 acres to northern portions of Joshua Tree National Park.

Article continues: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-mojave21-2009dec21,0,7093884.story

The 10 Best Undiscovered...

How many times have you seen this headline on a magazine or on the internet, "The 10 Best Undiscovered National Parks, Trails, Campsites, Rivers, Caves, etc."? I just recently ran across another such headline and find it frustrating. It's frustrating because those undiscovered or secret spots that we each know of and have a connection with aren't so secret after all. All it takes is one article in the latest outdoor magazine and on your next visit you can't find a place to park, much less a place to put your tent.

While I am in favor of sharing information about special places and areas of interest, I prefer a little more restraint so that these locations aren't immediately overrun with people. I also realize that new champions for parks, forest and open spaces are cultivated by bringing folks there to experience the area firsthand. However, I feel that it needs to be done in a sustainable way.

What happened to word of mouth 'advertising' for these places? We're in such an age of technology that everything is literally at your fingertips, including information about those hidden, out-of-the-way or off-the-beaten-path places that I thought only I knew about. Reversing this trend is a not a realistic option but educating folks about how to enjoy new areas responsibly is an option. Once again, this is where Leave No Trace comes in. Get out and enjoy but leave the place in such a way that the folks who come after you at least feel like they have discovered something new...