Feinstein's Bill Seeks to Protect the Old West and Boost Economy

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) is once again proposing legislation to protect 1.6 million acres of desert lands. Late Tuesday, she introduced the California Desert Protection Act of 2011. It would create two new national monuments, the Mojave Trails and the Sand to Snow National Monuments, as well as expanding the Joshua Tree and Death Valley National Parks, and the Mojave National Preserve.

The Act would also create several new wilderness areas, and protect waterways – including the Amargosa River and Deep Creek – as wild and scenic. David Lamfrom, the California Desert Program manager for the National Parks Conservation Association calls it landmark legislation.

"It seeks to protect the most valuable places in the California desert while simultaneously providing real economic opportunity to desert communities – which is really important, especially considering how difficult the economic times have been."

Lamfrom points out that the California desert is among the top outdoor recreation locations in the continental United States, and that its national parks alone bring nearly three million visitors to the state each year. The desert region includes sacred Native American sites, pioneer trails and Route 66, which Smithsonian Magazine named as one of its "10 Must-See Endangered Cultural Treasures," says Lamfrom.

"The California desert is one of the few places where you can go out into the countryside and literally see for twenty miles in any direction and not see the hand of man. It's one of the last places where you can really see a truly pristine night sky."

The newly reintroduced bill is largely unchanged from its previous version. A section of the previous bill that dealt directly with renewable energy was removed; Lamfrom says instead, those issues will be handled by other agencies. More information about the legislation is online at www.californiadesert.org.