Why the California Desert
California Desert
With spectacular pastel vistas, spring wildflowers and popular destinations like Death Valley and Joshua Tree national parks, the California desert is an amazing place to discover.
Why the California Desert
The California desert is a spectacular panorama of the American West. It includes stunning sand dunes, carpets of Mojave wildflowers, bighorn sheep and desert tortoise.
Gems like Joshua Tree and Death Valley can be preserved with Senator Feinstein’s California Desert Protection Act. Our work to pass this would protect about 1.6 million acres of stunning public wildlands.
Work we are doing
The California Desert Protection Act would preserve many stunning areas of the Mojave, including:
Mojave Trails National Monument
The act would protect 941,000 acres of wildlands as a new national monument, bridging Joshua Tree National Park and the Mojave National Preserve. It would include:
- Pisgah lava flow
- Amboy Crater
- Kelso Dunes wilderness
- Historic Route 66
Sand to Snow National Monument
The act would create a 134,000-acre monument from the desert floor in the Coachella Valley to the forested peak of Mount San Gorgonio, Southern California’s tallest mountain. The monument would include:
- Wildlife corridors linking Joshua Tree National Park to the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument
- Bighorn sheep and desert tortoise habitat
- The Whitewater River
Joshua Tree National Park
Scientists predict that Joshua trees may disappear as climate change alters their habitat. This act would add more than 2,800 acres to Joshua Tree National Park's northern boundary – an area rich in Joshua trees, granite peaks and habitat for desert tortoise and other rare and endangered species.
Death Valley National Park
The act would add about 46,000 acres to Death Valley National Park, including a southern section and geological gem known as the “Bowling Alley.”
Mojave National Preserve
The act would add 29,000 acres to preserve including a former gold mining area that has been reclaimed.
Crucial rivers and creeks
The act would protect 76 miles of beautiful portions of Deep Creek, Amargosa River, Surprise Canyon and other rivers and creeks.
Five new wilderness areas
The act would create new wilderness designated areas in Death Valley National Park and other federal lands.
Our Partners
We couldn't do our work in the California Desert without the help of local partners. Learn about our partnerships.
Why Wilderness
Wilderness is a precious resource with many human, natural and economic benefits that we need to protect.
Notes from the Field
Learn more about issues affecting the places we work to protect with our Notes from the Field.
mywilderness
Hear artists, activists and adventurers share what the ownership and legacy of these American wildlands means to them.
Tuesday, May 21, 2013The effort is part of a trio of bad drilling bills resurfacing in the House this week, proving that while Congress has its wilderness champions, it also has its share of wilderness foes who just won't quit when it comes to legislation that attacks wildlands
Tuesday, May 21, 2013Despite decades of Americans saying “no” to oil and gas drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska’s governor has proposed a plan that includes seismic testing and exploratory drilling in the very heart of the refuge – the coastal plain.
Monday, May 20, 2013The Forest Service proposed a ban last year on horizontal drilling, also known as fracking. Their decision will determine how this forest is managed for at least the next decade.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013Yet, here we are, with people and the government unable to stop furloughs, job losses, and lower revenue to keep the government functioning. Our public lands have certainly not been spared from this indiscriminate budget ax.
Tuesday, April 2, 2013But Alaska’s Sen. Lisa Murkowski refused to accept that decision. She and residents of the tiny community of King Cove are fighting to have the decision overturned.
Tuesday, March 19, 2013Birdwatchers travel from far and wide to northwest Colorado to see male sage-grouse strut their stuff in hopes of attracting a mate. Early spring is prime season to catch these timid grouse dancing on the lek and shaking their tail feathers through organized tours.
Smart Steps to Establish a Responsible Program for Renewable Energy on Public Lands
Since its first day in office, the Obama Administration has made rapid and responsible expansion of renewable energy a top priority. The public lands have played a major role in achieving early goals, but only because of focused effort to correct decades of inattention and inactivity toward developing renewable energy as a major component of the nation’s energy mix.
Expanding energy development to meet the growing needs of America must be balanced with protecting vital wild places.
The Wilderness Society has launched a new quarterly report "By The Numbers" to track how many acres of American land have been protected by Congress and the Executive branch, and how many acres have been leased out to energy development.
April 24, 2013
Dear Senator:
Tuesday, May 21, 2013U.S. Representatives Don Young and Doc Hastings have introduced H.R. 1964 in an effort to scrap the Department of the Interior’s recently finalized, comprehensive plan for the western Arctic’s National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, the nation’s largest tract of public land. The bill is scheduled for a hearing tomorrow on Capitol Hill.
Monday, May 20, 2013Identifying smart steps the Obama Administration, including the Department of the Interior and Bureau of Land Management, can take to continue building a responsible program for renewable energy are part of a “blueprint for action” released by The Wilderness Society today.
Monday, May 20, 2013Gov. Sean Parnell’s plan to ask the Alaska Legislature for $50 million to look for oil and gas in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is incompatible with the reasons the refuge was established, and would cause significant harm to a vital and irreplaceable American landscape.