DesertBlog

California Desert Protection Act 2010: the maps

Courtesy Ryan Henson of the California Wilderness Coalition, we post here maps, prepared by Senator Dianne Feinstein’s staff, of lands that would be affected by the California Desert Protection Act of 2010. These maps give a good summary, for those familiar with the California desert, of what the Act would do.

This list is also posted at my own site, where the maps are hosted. Please feel free to share and redistribute the maps.

The maps are current as of January 2010, but the areas covered by the Act will no doubt change as the bill makes its way through Congress. If you’re reading this post much later than the date it was published, be advised these maps may be out of date. We will endeavor to update them where necessary.

All the maps are in PDF format. I’ve shrunk the file size as much as possible, but be aware that each map generally runs between one and two megs. Downloading them all may take a few minutes on broadband.

To start with, here’s the text of the California Desert Protection Act of 2010, and a map with an overview of the lands affected.

As regards the most dramatic positives of the bill, the new National Monuments, the Act would establish:

the Proposed Sand to Snow National Monument connecting Joshua Tree National Park with protected lands in the San Bernardino Mountains, and
the Proposed Mojave Trails National Monument stretching from the Nevada state line nearly to Barstow.

National Parks: The Act would add significant tracts to the three National Park units in California’s desert, and designate five wilderness areas in Death Valley NP. The list:

Death Valley National Park Boundary Additions:
Crater, which would fill a donut hole in the north of the Park;
Bowling Alley, along the south border of the Park, and
Ryan Camp

Death Valley National Park Proposed Wilderness:
Ibex
Panamint Valley
Axe Head
Bowling Alley
North Eureka Valley

Joshua Tree National Park Boundary Addition:
North Boundary

Mojave National Preserve Boundary Additions:
Castle Mountains
Baker

Other wilderness: The Act would also designate a number of new wilderness areas outside National Park units, some administered by the BLM and some by the National Park Service. They include:

the Kingston Range Proposed Wilderness Additions north of Baker;
the Avawatz Mountains Proposed Wilderness between Baker and Death Valley;
the Soda Mountains Proposed Wilderness west of Baker;
the Great Falls Basin Proposed Wilderness northeast of Ridgecrest;
the Golden Valley Proposed Wilderness Additions southeast of Ridgecrest, and;
the Palo Verde Mountains and Indian Pass Mountains Potential Wilderness Additions, Milpitas Wash and Buzzards Peak Potential Wilderness, and Vinagre Wash proposed Special Management Area, all clustered together along the Colorado River in Imperial County.
Another wilderness-related provision of the Act would transfer Table Mountain wilderness study area to the DPC’s beloved Anza-Borrego Desert State Park: the State Parks would be required to manage the area as wilderness.

More controversially among environmentalists, the Act would formally designate a number of  current off-road vehicle areas as National OHV Recreation Areas. They are:
the Stoddard Valley Proposed National OHV Recreation Area between Barstow and Victorville;
the Proposed El Mirage National OHV Recreation Area between Barstow and Lancaster;
the Johnson Valley Proposed National OHV Recreation Area which also serves as potential expansion area for the 29 Palms Marine Corps Base;
the Spangler Hills Proposed National OHV Recreation Area just outside of Ridgecrest, and;
the Rasor Proposed National OHV Recreation Area adjacent to the western edge of the Mojave National Preserve.