April 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 53

Castle
Mounta
ins

Mojave Trails National Monument
The largest of the three newly designated monuments, Mojave Trails National Monument is a jaw-dropping 1.6
million acres, vastly larger than the 22
national monuments designated during
Obama's presidency. Almost a quarter-million acres within the new monument was land purchased 15 years ago
by The Wildlands Conservancy and
donated to the Department of the Interior in anticipation of one day achieving
national monument status.
Dubbed the " Heart of the Mojave, "
this new monument links Joshua
Tree National Park and the Mojave
National Preserve to assure biological connectivity. Populations of desert bighorn sheep, for example, will
be able to move between vast swaths
of land to sustain future generations
of the species. The Mojave Trails National Monument also links 15 federally designated wilderness areas.
Natural and cultural features in
this new national monument include
the Pisgah Lava Flow, which provides essential research on the effect
volcanoes have on evolution; Sleeping Beauty Valley, a dry playa that
is home to more than 350 species of
plants, including rare species; Marble
Mountains Fossil Beds, an area abundant with well-preserved trilobites
dating back 500 million years; and an
undeveloped stretch of Route 66.
Beloved by historians for linking
road travelers in the 60s between the
Midwest and California, and made
famous by author John Steinbeck's
Grapes of Wrath, Route 66 was recent

ly introduced to a new
generation in Disney's
animated movie " Cars. "
The historic route has
been noted by the World
Monuments Fund as a
threatened resource and
also called out by Smithsonian magazine as one of
" 15 Must-See Endangered
Cultural Treasures. "
BLM management responsibilities,
formerly
under BLM's multiple-use
mandates, shift to longterm preservation of the
monument's
resources.
" The BLM has a tremendous opportunity to
manage an area with high
cultural, historical and environmental
significance, " says Dana Wilson, public affairs officer in the BLM's California state office.
" In order to manage these areas
successfully, the BLM relies heavily
on its partnerships with local communities and the public in developing
a management plan for the monument that identifies priority areas for
conservation, recreation and visitor
amenities, " says Wilson. " In particular, the BLM will work with the local communities of Barstow, Needles
and Amboy to help us in the process. "
David Lamfrom, Camp
aign for the Californi
a Desert

reational appeal of the highest peak in
Southern California. " The protection
of cultural and natural resources will
both be considered before we implement any changes, " he adds, and he
anticipates that the Forest Service and
BLM will rely on consultation with
tribal governments and field surveys.

Castle Mountains
National Monument
At 21,000 acres, Castle Mountains
National Monument is not only the
smallest of the three new monuments
but is also the most remote. Situated
on the California/Nevada border, far
closer to Las Vegas than Los Angeles, the new monument fills in a pieshaped cutout on the northern boundary of the 1.6 million-acre Mojave's
National Preserve. The area was not
included in the preserve's establishing
legislation in 1994 because of active

mining operations in the area.
Visitors access the national monument near Searchlight, Nevada, by
navigating a bumpy dirt road that
yields surprising vistas of distinctive
mountain ranges and glimpses of
thriving wildlife, including golden eagles, desert tortoise and bighorn sheep.
Castle Mountains supports a lush Joshua tree forest - considered one of the
best in the Mojave Desert - and high
desert grasslands that some say may be
prime for the reintroduction of pronghorn antelope. Petroglyphs in the area,
remnants of old mining claims, and a
gold rush-era railroad track confirm
the area's colorful Old West history.
National Park Service personnel associated with the Mojave Preserve are
anticipated to staff the new national
monument, and their enthusiasm is
evident. Within days of the president's
designation, the National Park Service
had already erected and posted a sign
at the Castle Mountains entrance.
Paula Jacoby-Garrett is a freelance writer
based in Las Vegas, Nevada. She is also a
board member of the Mojave National
Preserve Conservancy (paula.jacoby.garrett@
gmail.com).

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April 2016 - Parks & Recreation

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