Foundation News

On February 12, 2016, President Obama announced three new national monuments in the southern California desert for 1.8 million acres of protected public land. This historic moment is the result of the hard work and decades of organizing by Sierra Club staff, activists, and partners. Just last October, with support from the Sierra Club Foundation, the Sierra Club’s Western Permanent Protections Campaign generated significant turnout for a public hearing, where over 700 supporters advocated for the monument designations. We thank the President for protecting these environmentally and culturally important sites and give special thanks to California Senator Dianne Feinstein, who has been a champion for this area most of her life.

The Mojave Trails National Monument provides a vital wilderness corridor, connecting Joshua Tree National Park with other existing wilderness areas. The area features shifting sand dunes, 550-million-year-old trilobite fossil beds, and the point at which the subterranean Mojave River surfaces. Sacred Native American trails can be found here, as well.

The Sand to Snow National Monument provides safe passage for wildlife from the San Gorgonio Wilderness to Joshua Tree National Park and the San Bernardino National Forest. The aptly named site boasts rich diversity in landscapes from the Sonoran Desert to wetlands and woodlands to the alpine slopes of Mount San Gorgonio, southern California’s highest peak.

The Castle Mountain National Monument features the jutting peaks of the Castle Mountains pushing up from the Mojave Desert. Desert grasslands, Joshua trees, and pinion and juniper forests provide sanctuary for bighorn sheep, mountain lions, bobcats, and golden eagles. Native American cultural sites are prominent, including views of the revered Spirit Mountain in Nevada.

At the start of President Obama’s second term, the Sierra Club set an audacious goal to compel the President to protect six million acres as national monuments under the Antiquities Act of 1906 by the time he leaves office. With the announcement of the three California Desert national monuments, the President has designated a total of 22 sites and nearly four million acres. We have less than one year to permanently protect the remaining two million acres on our list, including places surrounding the Greater Grand Canyon, the Bear’s Ears in Utah, and the Arctic Refuge. The Our Wild America Campaign,  fiscally sponsored by the Sierra Club Foundation, is organizing Sierra Club staff, volunteers, allies, and supporters to make sure we get there.