Explore Mojave Trails National Monument, California

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Mojave Trails National Monument protects 941,000 acres (3,810 km2; 1,470 sq mi) of federal land between Joshua Tree National Park and the Mojave National Preserve along historic Route 66 in San Bernardino County. The purposes of the Monument are to preserve the nationally significant biological, cultural, recreational, geological, educational, historic, scenic, and scientific values in the protected areas and to secure the opportunity for present and future generations to experience and enjoy the magnificent vistas, wildlife, land forms, and natural and cultural resources of the Monument. The Monument will be managed by the BLM. The bill permits continued use of the Mojave Trails National Monument for existing recreational activities including hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, camping, hunting, trapping, rockhounding, and off-highway vehicle (OHV) recreation on designated routes. Furthermore, the bill authorizes the construction of transmission lines in the Monument to facilitate the transfer of renewable energy. It explicitly does not create any protective perimeter or buffer zone around the Monument and does not grant the government any additional authority over non-federal land within the Monument. Approximately $45 million of private donations and $18 million in federal Land and Water Conservation funds were spent to purchase land from the Catellus Corporation between 1999 and 2004 with the promise of conserving it in perpetuity.[4] However, the BLM subsequently accepted applications to build solar and wind energy projects on these former railroad lands.[5] The California Desert Protection Act of 2010 provides additional protection for approximately 266,000 acres (1,080 km2; 416 sq mi) of these acquisitions, prohibiting disposal of this land or additionalmining, rights-of-way, leases, livestock grazing, infrastructure development, or off-highway vehicle use. Mojave Trails National Monument preserves 1.6 million acres of diverse and striking desert lands that link Joshua Tree National Park and Mojave National Preserve. Named for the most pristine stretch of historic Route 66, with wide-open desert vistas, the lands in the national monument are habitat for threatened desert tortoises and iconic desert bighorn sheep. The monument includes numerous important destination spots, like Amboy Crater, already designated as a “national natural landmark”; Pisgah Lava Flow, the most researched area in North America when it comes to the effects of volcanism on biological evolution; Sleeping Beauty Valley — the last intact valley of West Mojave plant associations, on the eastern edge of the west Mojave desert; Afton Canyon, where the Mojave River flows year-round, forming a desert oasis amid colorful canyon walls; Cady Mountains, one of the best ranges in the Mojave to see bighorn sheep; Marble Mountains Fossil Beds — the site of 550-million-year-old fossils of trilobites, which were among the first animals on Earth with eyes and skeletons; numerous unique sand-dune systems, including the Cadiz dunes; and an important portion of California's largest cactus garden. Not only does this monument connect two national park units, but it also links 13 wilderness areas into a larger matrix of conserved public lands. Only two hours away from the homes of 16 million people in urbanized Southern California, Mojave Trails National Monument provides a refuge for campers and explorers, as well as an opportunity to see bighorn sheep, desert tortoises, fringe-toed lizards and other rare animals — plus riotous displays of spring and fall wildflowers.National monument status protects the existing uses of these lands for outdoor enjoyment and ensures that key wildlife connections will remain between national parks and wilderness areas.

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