January showers bring March flowers

K Kaufmann
The Desert Sun

A bee gathers nectar from blooming flowers on a brittlebush in a vacant lot in Palm Springs on Friday. Experts say that recent and forecasted rainstorms should ensure a strong desert wildflower show in March. (Michael Snyder The Desert Sun)

It's going to be a good — and possibly even spectacular — year for wildflowers in the Coachella Valley.

Just not yet.

The yearly bloom — to be celebrated with a Wildflower Festival on March 6 in Palm Desert — is a function of temperatures and rain, and both sides of the equation have yet to reach a tipping point, experts say.

“The ground (is) covered with green sprouts waiting for the first warm spell,” desert ecologist Jim Cornett said. “The first time we get three days of 76-degree weather, then we'll start seeing some blooming.”

Buds also are out at the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto National Monument in Palm Desert, which will host the Wildflower Festival.

“We're starting to see the flower heads coming up,” said Dani Ortiz, interpretive ranger at the monument. “We'll have everything. We cover 52 species up here.”

The warm weather needed to nudge those first buds open could still be two to three weeks out, said Ken Clark, senior meteorologist for Accuweather.com.

“We don't start warming up until March,” Clark said. “We're going to get more rain.”

At this point, the more the better, say Cornett and other naturalists in the region.

The valley's January downpours have somewhat made up for a dry autumn, but another good soaking is needed.

“Depending on rain, the peak will be a little earlier, the first week of March,” said Michael Rodriques, regional interpretive specialist at Anza- Borrego Desert State Park.

“If it rains a lot more, it will extend (the season). That would give us a stellar year.”

At Joshua Tree National Park, Joe Zarki, chief of interpretation, is hedging his bets, forecasting “a decent wildflower display” on the way.

“There won't be quite the rich carpets. The flower concentrations are going to be scattered and a little spotty,” Zarki said.

The place to watch will be Edom Hill in Cathedral City, north of Interstate 10, which has a unique combination of low elevation, sun and soil seen nowhere else in the California desert, Cornett said.

“The intersection of Date Palm and Varner will be the first place you're going to see plants blooming,” he said. “It's a south-facing slope; it has a thin veneer of wind-blown sand. It's warm, and the loose soil makes an excellent germinating medium.”

At both Anza-Borrego and Joshua Tree, wildflower season is expected to last into late March and beyond as blooms march up the mountains, moving to higher elevations as temperatures warm.

“We'll see a lot of flowers in late March and April, even into May in the higher elevations,” Zarki said.

Rodriques' recommendation is simple: “Look everywhere because there will be flowers everywhere.”

Hikers keep standing date with Coachella Valley's desert

The Santa Rosa & San Jacinto Mountains National Monument features scenic views such as this one. The scenic national-monument area can become the backdrop for exploring the desert. Ramon Mena Owens / The Press-Enterprise

Slideshow

By STEVE MOORE
The Press-Enterprise

PALM DESERT - At 6 a.m., a half-dozen people gather at the Santa Rosa & San Jacinto Mountains National Monument before heading into the craggy mountains overlooking the Coachella Valley.

The Thursday Morning Hikes program attracts the adventurous and the fitness-minded.

They rise early for three- or four-mile hikes -- even in the dead of summer.

The program runs year-round so those who can't stand the heat can take the many winter hikes.

The scenic national-monument area becomes the backdrop for exploring the desert. The federally designated lands cover 272,000 acres, from the floor of the Coachella Valley to the surrounding mountains, including forests at more than 10,500 feet.

On a recent Thursday, two groups set out.

One explored the Randall Henderson Loop Trail, an almost three-mile hike with a fairly gradual 200- to 300-foot gain in elevation.

Other hikers, led by volunteer Drew Leander, covered the Art Smith Trail. It includes some strenuous uphill sections and a rise of about 500 feet in elevation over a four-mile trek.

"This is the most dangerous part of the journey," Leander joked, waving his group across blacktopped Highway 74, just below two blind curves.

Before the outing ended, the hikers saw a rattlesnake snuggling up for warmth against some rocks. They spied blooming spiny, green ocotillos arching skyward after summer rains. One guide spotted a rare desert tortoise. Trudging through the humidity, the hikers flicked at gnats buzzing around their eyes and ears.

During the winter, Thursday Morning Hikes attract 40 to 75 people and require the help of four to six guides.

"Many living in the desert are exercise-oriented," Leander said. "They are very outdoorsy.

"That's why they're here. They're curious, but many wouldn't do this on their own," he said.

"We try to instill a little confidence that they can -- with proper safety precautions," Leander added. "The trails are wide open, free to the public, and we have maps."

As the hikers made their way along the winding Art Smith Trail heading toward its junction with the Hopalong Cassidy Trail, sweat glistened on the back of their necks.

Year-round hiker Diane Kahan, 61, of Indian Wells, had come prepared.

She donned an Australian mosquito net that covered her entire face and drank a few quarts of water before setting out.

She'd brought sunscreen, a whistle -- three short blasts if you're in trouble -- and cold water tucked away in a fanny pack that has a long tube to suck on for a drink.

"My family thinks I'm crazy," she said, when asked about hiking during summer. "But it's a good workout, and the guides are very knowledgeable."

Leander stopped at the junction of the Art Smith and Randall Henderson trails so hikers could rest.

Along the way, he pointed out yellow flowers on brittlebush, barrel cactus, agave, cholla cactus, mesquite and the Little San Bernardino Mountains and Indio Hills. From a rocky perch, hikers peered into the ultraprivate Big Horn development and golf course, where multi-million homes and fairways spread across what was once virgin desert.

Spotting a rattlesnake, the guide said, "He's sleeping and not warm enough yet. That's the trouble with being cold-blooded. He knows we're here and doesn't like it."

The rattler's black tongue slowly flicked out.

"We'll leave him alone to wake up," the guide said.

When many have fled the desert, some summer tourists settle into their hotels and go for a hike.

Dave Heatherington, 61, of Vancouver, British Columbia, flipped through a visitor's guide and saw the nature getaway: "Thursday Morning Hikes."

Heatherington, who has hiked the Grand Canyon, carried water, macadamia-nut cookies, a sandwich and first-aid supplies in his backpack.

"It's all good," he said, a hat shading his face slightly. "I like getting out and meeting new people."

Getting Connected

Hikes and presentations are scheduled through the rest of the year and in 2009.

"The Top Ten Scary Desert Creatures," "Happy Tails Doggie Adventure Hike," "Desert Survivors Nature Walk," "History of Conservation in the Coachella Valley," "Ready, Set, Find!: Geocaching in the National Monument," Cactus Spring Hike and "Are You Smarter Than a Raven?" are just a few.

Information: 760-862-9984 (9 a.m. to 4 p.m. seven days a week); Web site: www.desertmountains.org

Scott Segal is director of programs for Friends of the Desert Mountains at the National Monument Visitor Center.

Year-round, he watches hikers return from encountering a desert many only see in brochures.

"In essence, they feel a sense of connection with their national treasures," he said.

"They become connected with the geology and geography, the plants and the animals, and they learn about the culture of the native Cahuilla people."

Hikers keep standing date with Coachella Valley's desert

By STEVE MOORE
The Press-Enterprise


The Santa Rosa & San Jacinto Mountains National Monument features scenic views such as this one. The scenic national-monument area can become the backdrop for exploring the desert. Ramon Mena Owens / The Press-Enterprise
PALM DESERT - At 6 a.m., a half-dozen people gather at the Santa Rosa & San Jacinto Mountains National Monument before heading into the craggy mountains overlooking the Coachella Valley.

The Thursday Morning Hikes program attracts the adventurous and the fitness-minded.

They rise early for three- or four-mile hikes -- even in the dead of summer.

The program runs year-round so those who can't stand the heat can take the many winter hikes.

The scenic national-monument area becomes the backdrop for exploring the desert. The federally designated lands cover 272,000 acres, from the floor of the Coachella Valley to the surrounding mountains, including forests at more than 10,500 feet.

On a recent Thursday, two groups set out.

One explored the Randall Henderson Loop Trail, an almost three-mile hike with a fairly gradual 200- to 300-foot gain in elevation.

Other hikers, led by volunteer Drew Leander, covered the Art Smith Trail. It includes some strenuous uphill sections and a rise of about 500 feet in elevation over a four-mile trek.

"This is the most dangerous part of the journey," Leander joked, waving his group across blacktopped Highway 74, just below two blind curves.

Before the outing ended, the hikers saw a rattlesnake snuggling up for warmth against some rocks. They spied blooming spiny, green ocotillos arching skyward after summer rains. One guide spotted a rare desert tortoise. Trudging through the humidity, the hikers flicked at gnats buzzing around their eyes and ears.

During the winter, Thursday Morning Hikes attract 40 to 75 people and require the help of four to six guides.

"Many living in the desert are exercise-oriented," Leander said. "They are very outdoorsy.

"That's why they're here. They're curious, but many wouldn't do this on their own," he said.

"We try to instill a little confidence that they can -- with proper safety precautions," Leander added. "The trails are wide open, free to the public, and we have maps."

As the hikers made their way along the winding Art Smith Trail heading toward its junction with the Hopalong Cassidy Trail, sweat glistened on the back of their necks.

Year-round hiker Diane Kahan, 61, of Indian Wells, had come prepared.

She donned an Australian mosquito net that covered her entire face and drank a few quarts of water before setting out.

She'd brought sunscreen, a whistle -- three short blasts if you're in trouble -- and cold water tucked away in a fanny pack that has a long tube to suck on for a drink.

"My family thinks I'm crazy," she said, when asked about hiking during summer. "But it's a good workout, and the guides are very knowledgeable."

Leander stopped at the junction of the Art Smith and Randall Henderson trails so hikers could rest.

Along the way, he pointed out yellow flowers on brittlebush, barrel cactus, agave, cholla cactus, mesquite and the Little San Bernardino Mountains and Indio Hills. From a rocky perch, hikers peered into the ultraprivate Big Horn development and golf course, where multi-million homes and fairways spread across what was once virgin desert.

Spotting a rattlesnake, the guide said, "He's sleeping and not warm enough yet. That's the trouble with being cold-blooded. He knows we're here and doesn't like it."

The rattler's black tongue slowly flicked out.

"We'll leave him alone to wake up," the guide said.

When many have fled the desert, some summer tourists settle into their hotels and go for a hike.

Dave Heatherington, 61, of Vancouver, British Columbia, flipped through a visitor's guide and saw the nature getaway: "Thursday Morning Hikes."

Heatherington, who has hiked the Grand Canyon, carried water, macadamia-nut cookies, a sandwich and first-aid supplies in his backpack.

"It's all good," he said, a hat shading his face slightly. "I like getting out and meeting new people."

Getting Connected

Hikes and presentations are scheduled through the rest of the year and in 2009.

"The Top Ten Scary Desert Creatures," "Happy Tails Doggie Adventure Hike," "Desert Survivors Nature Walk," "History of Conservation in the Coachella Valley," "Ready, Set, Find!: Geocaching in the National Monument," Cactus Spring Hike and "Are You Smarter Than a Raven?" are just a few.

Information: 760-862-9984 (9 a.m. to 4 p.m. seven days a week); Web site: www.desertmountains.org

Scott Segal is director of programs for Friends of the Desert Mountains at the National Monument Visitor Center.

Year-round, he watches hikers return from encountering a desert many only see in brochures.

"In essence, they feel a sense of connection with their national treasures," he said.

"They become connected with the geology and geography, the plants and the animals, and they learn about the culture of the native Cahuilla people."

New trail map shows the way in wilderness

By STEVE MOORE
The Press-Enterprise



PALM DESERT - It's the wilderness at your fingertips.

A big, new foldout map pinpointing more than 75 trails in the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument spotlights desert hikes and alpine forest treks.

It's all part of the national monument's Celebration of Trails campaign.

The $8.95 map is now available exclusively at the visitor center, 51-500 Highway 74, about four miles south of downtown Palm Desert. Information: 760-862-9984.

"It's a giant undertaking, involving hundreds of miles of trails," said Buford Crites, vice president of The Friends of the Desert Mountains, one of several groups and agencies involved. "This map will encourage hiking and make it more likely that people will come back safely."

The 36-inch by nearly 39-inch map -- unveiled about a week and a half ago -- brings it all together.

In all, 10,000 maps were produced at a cost of about $40,000 -- plus a lot of donated time and labor, Crites said.

In the past, hikers often stopped into the national monument's visitor center and thumbed through a raft of maps -- U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Automobile Club of Southern California, Desert Riders, Palm Desert's foldout trail map, hiking guides such as "140 Great Hikes in and Near Palm Springs" by Philip Ferranti and Pacific Crest Trail books.

At times, visitor center staff would even walk hikers out to a nearby trailhead or draw a diagram, volunteer Deborah Stone said.

But things are much easier now.

At the visitor center, people just reach for the Santa Rosa & San Jacinto Mountains National Monument Trail Map.

Three years in the making, the new map became a collaborative effort by the Friends, Coachella Valley Mountains Conservancy, The Wilderness Society, Tahquitz Group of the Sierra Club, Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, California State Parks, Southern California Edison Co., city of Palm Desert and Palm Springs Life.

It wasn't all high-tech and GPS.

Crites said the desert and mountain trails were also hiked as a way of ensuring exact locations. Then, people got in a room and pored over GPS data and their own observations.

"The next time that I look at a map, I'm going to have a significantly broader appreciation of the process that goes into it," Crites said.

The new map is water-resistant -- something that will come in handy in the wilderness.

It includes a key listing trails by geographic area and gives their length, change in elevation and relative difficulty -- "easy, moderate, strenuous."

For Palm Desert/Rancho Mirage -- where several trails converge -- there's a blow-up box breaking out popular trails such as Bump & Grind, Hopalong Cassidy, Herb Jeffries and Gabby Hayes.

"A lot of people can find their way down El Paseo (a shopping street) much more quickly than the Art Smith or Hopalong Cassidy trail," Crites said. "But there's enormous interest by both residents and tourists in getting off the landscaped portion of our valley and out into the country and looking at our desert."

The national monument covers 272,000 acres, stretching from the desert floor of the Coachella Valley to the surrounding mountains, including forests at more than 10,500 feet.

In 2000, local conservationists and community leaders worked with Rep. Mary Bono Mack, R-Palm Springs, and Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., in passing legislation recognizing the vast wilderness area.

Bono Mack Acts To Preserve Scenic Lands

California Political Desk
The California Chronicle





A view looking at Highway 74 from the trailhead for the South Fork of the San Jacinto River. The area is being considered for the nation's highest level of protection under a bill by Rep. Mary Bono Mack, R-Palm Springs.
The Press-Enterprise/William Wilson Lewis III




Washington, D.C. – Today the U.S. House of Representatives passed Congresswoman Mary Bono Mack´s (CA-45) legislation that would preserve over 190,000 acres of scenic desert, forest, and river areas throughout California's 45th District. Broadly supported by local community leaders, elected officials, and local business owners, Bono Mack´s bill – H.R. 3682, the California Desert and Mountain Heritage Act – passed by voice vote today on the House Floor. The bill will now be considered in the U.S. Senate.

"I am thrilled that we are one step closer to preserving some of the most scenic and environmentally sensitive areas in our District," said Bono Mack. "Throughout history, these wild lands have drawn people to our region, and I am pleased that this legislation will help ensure that families and individuals can continue to enjoy the natural beauty of our desert, river and forest areas for years to come.

"Through a collaborative process, this bill was carefully crafted to meet the diverse needs of our community – from Native American tribes to those who enjoy hiking and biking throughout the area. I am thankful for the time and input of so many local groups and individuals that has brought us to this point.

"As our region experiences rapid population growth, it is critical that we protect these lands that have been such an important part of our cultural heritage. Years ago, President Gerald Ford recognized this need when he signed legislation that created over 400,000 acres of wilderness in what is now Joshua Tree National Park. I am proud that the California Desert and Mountain Heritage Act continues the dream of President Ford to protect our spectacular natural scenery for future generations."

The California Desert and Mountain Heritage Act would create four protected wilderness areas, add 31 miles of rivers to the National Wild and Scenic River system, and expand the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument, which was created legislatively by Bono Mack in 2000. The bill would protect over 190,000 acres of wilderness areas, including in Joshua Tree National Park, Cahuilla Mountain, the San Bernardino National Forest and the Pinto Mountains. The legislation is also written to clarify the ability of the U.S. Forest Service to effectively fight fires; protect renewable energy potential; and continue access to for visitors to enjoy all that the region has to offer, according to Bono Mack.

California Desert and Mountain Heritage Act

H.R. 3682
Representative Mary Bono Mack (R-CA)
Source: GOP.gov

FLOOR SITUATION
H.R. 3682 is being considered on the floor under suspension of the rules and will require a two-thirds majority vote for passage. This legislation was introduced by Representative Mary Bono Mack (R-CA) on September 27, 2007. The bill was ordered to be reported, as amended, by voice vote by the House Committee on Natural Resources on May 14, 2008.

H.R. 3682 is expected to be considered on the floor of the House on June 9, 2008.

SUMMARY
H.R. 3682 designates the following lands in California as wilderness:

• 2,053 acres of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land in the Cleveland National Forest, to be part of the Agua Tibia Wilderness;
  
• 5,585 acres of land in the San Bernardino National Forest to be known as the Cahuilla Mountain Wilderness and the South Fork San Jacinto Wilderness;
  
• 20,217 acres of land in the San Bernadino National Forest to be known as the South Fork San Jacinto Wilderness;
  
• 2,149 acres of BLM land in Riverside County, California, to be incorporated in the Santa Rosa Wilderness;
  
• 15,621 acres of BLM land in Riverside County, California, to be known as the Beauty Mountain Wilderness;
  
• 36,700 acres of land in Joshua Tree National Park, to be part of the Joshua Tree Wilderness;
  
• 4,635 acres of BLM land in Riverside County, California as part of the Orocopia Mountains Wilderness;
  
• 22,645 acres of BLM land in Riverside County, California as part of the Palen/McCoy Wilderness;
  
• 24,404 acres of BLM land in Riverside County, California to be known as the Pinto Mountains Wilderness; and
  
• 12,815 acres of BLM land in Riverside County, California as part of the Chuckwalla Mountains Wilderness.

The bill states that wilderness areas in the Act are intended to exclude rights of way for existing utility facilities, and associated structures and access roads.

H.R. 3682 designates 43,300 acres of land in the Joshua Tree National Park as potential wilderness. The Secretary of the Interior is required to manage such land as wilderness until it is incorporated into the Joshua Tree Wilderness.

The bill also provides for access to the Cahuilla Mountain Wilderness by Indian tribes for traditional cultural and religious purposes. The Secretary of Interior is directed to amend local fire management plans that apply to the Santa Rosa Wilderness and Agua Tibia Wilderness, and prepare local fire management plans for the Beauty Mountain Wilderness, Cahuilla Mountain Wilderness, and South Fork San Jacinto Wilderness Area.

In addition, H.R. 3682 amends the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (P.L. 90-542) to designate certain creeks and rivers in Riverside County, California as “wild, scenic, or recreational rivers”.

**Note: (1) Wild river areas are rivers or sections of rivers that are free of impoundments and generally inaccessible except by trail. Scenic river areas are rivers or sections of rivers that are free of impoundments, with shorelines or watersheds still largely primitive and shorelines largely undeveloped, but accessible in places by roads. Recreational river areas are rivers or sections of rivers that are readily accessible by road or railroad, that may have some development along their shorelines, and that may have undergone some impoundment or diversion in the past. (P.L. 90-542)**

The bill additionally amends the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument Act of 2000 (P.L. 106-351) to include additional lands within the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument.

BACKGROUND
In total, H.R. 3682 designates approximately 190,000 acres of land in Southern California as wilderness or potential wilderness. Under the Wilderness Act (P.L. 88-577), wilderness is famously defined as “an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain.” Wilderness areas typically provide many recreational activities for Americans, while certain activities such as logging and oil and gas drilling are prohibited.

The National Wilderness Preservation System was established by the Wilderness Act (P.L. 88-577) in 1964. Under the Wilderness Act, Congress may designate federal lands as wilderness. The National Wilderness Preservation System administers federally managed lands encompassing 107 million acres in 702 wilderness areas, as of January 2008.

Bill to protect county mountains, rivers passes House committee

California Desert and Mountain Heritage Act


Keith Matheny
The Desert Sun


A bill to protect additional Riverside County forests, mountains and rivers was passed by the U.S. House's Natural Resources Committee today, paving the way for a floor vote in the full House.

Sponsored by Rep. Mary Bono Mack, R-Palm Springs, the bill would permanently protect four new wilderness areas, expand six existing protected areas, and add additional protected land to the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument. It would include 190,000 acres of wilderness in areas including Joshua Tree National Park.

The protected lands in the bill would help preserve the habitat of the threatened Peninsular bighorn sheep, desert tortoise and mountain yellow-legged frog, as well as many other species including mule deer, mountain quail and bald eagles.

"These lands make up a valuable part of our heritage, and I am pleased that we are now one step closer to ensuring that they are preserved for future generations," Bono Mack said in a statement.

It would also designate the North Fork of the San Jacinto River, Fuller Mill Creek, Bautista Creek and Palm Canyon Creek as potected Wild and Scenic Rivers.

"These four rivers are natural treasures hiding in plain sight," said Rebecca Wodder, president of American Rivers, a national organization dedicated to river protection.

"As more and more people move to Riverside County, we can't afford to let these vital links to our past be swallowed up by our future."

The bill is sponsored in the Senate by California Democratic U.S. Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer. It has broad local support, including from Riverside County supervisors, municipalities, chambers of commerce and others. The Coachella Valley Association of Governments and 11 municipalities have formally endorsed the legislation.

"It's terrific to see a bill that truly balances the diverse needs of our community, protecting our region's open space, preserving our high quality of life while maintaining and enhancing our economy -- the California Desert and Mountain Heritage Act succeeds on all counts," Palm Desert Councilman Jim Ferguson said in a statement.

Palm Springs Mayor Pro Tem Ginny Foat praised the legislation for its "positive impact on our community's recreation opportunities, quality of life and local economy."

Bill seeks to add thousands of acres of wilderness

California Desert and Mountain Heritage Act


By JENNIFER BOWLES
The Press-Enterprise



William Wilson Lewis III / The Press-Enterprise
John Garner's favorite spot to go hiking with his dog Daisy, along the south fork of the San Jacinto River, could become a federally designated wilderness area as part of a bill pending in Congress to protect 191,000 acres throughout Riverside County.

John Garner and Daisy, his German shepherd, hike a dirt trail above Hemet most mornings before he heads to work.

The five-mile trail hugs the side of a chaparral-studded canyon in the San Jacinto Mountains, then veers down to a tranquil river valley festooned with cottonwoods, willows and oaks where the only signs of modern civilization are jet contrails overhead.

"It's really quiet, peaceful," said Garner, 41, who owns Jag Pest Control in Hemet.

Garner said that although he was unaware his favorite hiking spot -- 21,670 acres with the south fork of the San Jacinto River at its heart -- may become a federally designated wilderness, he'd support the move.

This spring, Congress is likely to consider it in legislation by Rep. Mary Bono Mack, R-Palm Springs, and Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., that would protect 191,000 acres across Riverside County.

But the quest to garner the nation's highest form of land protection for a region prone to wildfires and heavily recreated has required compromises that allow the boundaries to be drawn in a way that permits normally banned activities in wilderness. Federal wilderness areas prohibit the use of mechanized equipment -- fire equipment, off-road vehicles and even mountain bikes.

And there could still be more compromises as Bono Mack faces fellow lawmakers who believe such concessions undermine the intent of the 1964 Wilderness Act. The act defines those areas as "where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain."

"They think we're spoiling the wilderness designation," Bono Mack said of some of her colleagues. "It's hard to explain to people what Southern California wildfires are ... and it's precedent-setting that we're trying to take into consideration fire caution.

"I do worry and I think often about risking people's property or certainly lives with legislation like this," if it bans firefighting trucks and equipment, she said. "We're trying to be very, very careful. We're in uncharted territory here."

For instance, a fire road that snakes down the middle of the proposed South Fork San Jacinto Wilderness was left outside of the boundaries. The road, known as Rouse Ridge, is also used by off-roaders and mountain bikers as a link to Thomas Mountain.

"We wanted that bisect to be maintained," said Tom Ward, policy advisor for the International Mountain Bicycling Association-California. He said his group helped craft the compromises with the California Wilderness Coalition.

Mike Dietrich, fire chief for the San Bernardino National Forest, said Rouse Ridge, although quite bumpy, is a well-established fire road that provides good access to help douse fires in the rugged terrain.

Some in the environmental community support the compromises.

"I think that it's very important especially in Southern California to ensure we have all the tools we need to fight fire and protect our communities," said Shane Walton, of Palm Springs, with Friends of the River, which is pushing for the bill's passage.

The South Fork wilderness proposal is a few miles from the town of Mountain Center, just south of Idyllwild.

The Bill

Boxer, after testifying Tuesday for the bill during a hearing of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee's Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forest, dismissed the notion that the bill has been watered down.

"What we're doing is we are making sure that if there's a fire, it can be put out ..." she said. "And we're not changing or weakening the rules here. We're just explicitly stating them so people know."

The bill would create four new wilderness areas across Riverside County in Joshua Tree National Park, the San Bernardino National Forest and open desert; increase the amount of land in six existing wilderness areas; add 31 miles of rivers to the National Wild and Scenic River System; and expand the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument by about 8,000 acres.

Bono Mack suspects the language in the 1964 Wilderness Act was based on circumstances happening then. For instance, areas weren't as populated, and the term wildland-urban interface -- the places where residences back up against wildland -- wasn't even thought of. And some say mountain biking wasn't yet invented.

Jenn Dice, with the international mountain biking group in Boulder, Colo., said biking trails recently have been included in wilderness areas across the nation but the issue often pits "old-school" wilderness advocates against recreationists who also oppose large-scale development.

"We believe our core values are the same as environmentalists'," she said. "We want clean water, clean air and healthy ecosystems. But it gets dicey when you're talking about wilderness and nothing else."

Both Dice and Ward said the real threat to wildlands is development.

Making the Compromise

Bill Dart, of the Off-Road Business Association, asked to downgrade the wilderness designations in Bono Mack's bill to a so-called "backcountry" -- meaning it would ban future development but allow recreation -- when he testified in November before a House subcommittee.

The off-roading group came around and now supports the bill after negotiating with Bono Mack's office, Dart said.

Bono Mack said it took a telephone call from her to an off-roading leader and assurances that the Bradshaw trail around the Orocopia and Chuckwalla mountains in eastern Riverside County wouldn't be affected.

"It was never clear, and we gave them certainty on it," she said.

Bono Mack has experience trying to hatch compromises in the name of land protection. She spearheaded creation of the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument above the Coachella Valley eight years ago when President Clinton created more than a dozen in the West when he signed an executive order.

Bono Mack said it has been a similar experience this time.

"It's always been about bringing as many concerned people to the table to discuss the issues," she said.

Walton has a more ethereal reason for wanting the land protected, he said while sitting on the grass in a meadow near the San Jacinto River in the proposed wilderness.

"It's good for my spirits," he said of hiking. "... It leaves me feeling good for the whole day."

Conservation bill to add protection for mountain land

Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument

Diana Marrero • Washington Bureau
Desert Sun

A popular destination for tourists and local hiking enthusiasts - the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument - could receive extra protection under a bill the House approved Wednesday.

The mountain terrain is among nearly 26 million acres of national monuments, historic trails and wilderness areas out West that could get additional protection under the bill, which now heads to the Senate.

The 278-140 House vote would officially designate the system of land managed by the Bureau of Land Management as the National Landscape Conservation system.

The lands include the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto mountains, the California coastline, a portion of the Grand Canyon in Arizona, the Black Rock Desert of Northern Nevada and the Grand Staircase in Utah.

These "crown jewels," of the West have fallen victim to vandalism, artifact theft, and off-road vehicles that trample plants and other habitats despite their designation as conservation areas by former President Clinton in 2000.

Rep. Mary Bono Mack, R-Palm Springs and co-chair of the National Landscape Conservation System Caucus, said, "Passing this bill is a positive step toward ensuring the protection of some our nation's most unique and valuable lands. … These valuable and culturally significant lands deserve the oversight and permanence that comes with Congressional recognition."

Conservation advocates say the congressional recognition - already given to the national parks and wildlife refuges - would ensure a steadier source of funding for the system.

The Santa Rosa and San Jacinto mountains tower over the Coachella Valley and encompass about 272,000 acres, according to the Bureau of Land Management.

Some desert areas left out of protection plan

Jay Calderon, The Desert Sun
Snow covers the San Jacinto mountains overlooking the valley's windmills. The mountains are in the area that would be protected.

Diana Marrero
Desert Sun Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON - Nearly 7 million acres of California desert would not receive federal protection under a proposal to protect 26 million acres of national monuments, historic trails and wilderness areas that dot the West.

The unprotected land constitutes about two-thirds of the 10.6 million-acre California Desert Conservation area, which runs from the Mexican border to Mono Lake up north.

Although the entire swath is now considered part of the National Landscape Conservation System, a large chunk would no longer receive that designation under the bill.

Rep. Mary Bono Mack, R-Palm Springs, has been a strong proponent of the bill, which would officially recognize as conservation lands millions of acres across the West, including the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto mountains.

The mountains, considered national monuments, would still receive protection under the bill, but a large part of the California desert near the mountains would not because the lands don't have a "national" label.

The congressional designation for the system - it only has administrative approval now - would ensure a more constant source of funding for those lands, much like the national parks, conservation experts say.

"It's a matter of, 'Is the glass half empty or is it half full?'" said Bono Mack, a co-sponsor of the bill. "At this point in time, I want a bill that will move and that will pass and get signed by the president."

The move to take a large part of the California conservation area out of the system could be the result of opposition from utility companies, off-road vehicle drivers and mining interests, said Daniel Patterson, an ecologist and director of the southwest office of the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, which advocates for federal employees.

"We're not sure why Congresswoman Bono is trying to pursue an anti-conservation position on a very important issue in her district," said Patterson, who argues the bill means the California conservation area will be denied any additional funding that goes to lands in the national system.

Bono Mack says she doesn't see the bill as "excluding land."

"We have taken boundaries and said these are our highest priorities," she said. "There is nothing deliberately excluding land in the future."

Feinstein pushing for larger area as part of the bill

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., is speaking with Senate leaders about adding a large part of the California conservation area to the bill, spokesman Scott Gerber said.

"Sen. Feinstein is trying to make it crystal clear and leave no ambiguity the land in question should be included in the National Landscape Conservation System," he said. "We want to make sure these lands have the same protection as other conservation areas."

Among the areas not included in the bill is the Big Morongo Preserve.

The desert conservation area was created by Congress in 1976.

It became part of the national conservation system through administrative action by former President Bill Clinton during his last term in office. But they have not received the attention or funding they deserve, say advocates who are now pushing for Congress to set the designation.

Kevin Mack, a conservation system director for the Wilderness Society, says that although the group would love to see more lands included in the national system, they are satisfied the bill protects "the crown jewels" of the public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management.

The lack of designation won't change the way the agency manages the land in the California conservation area, spokesman Tom Gorey said.

"The legislation isn't going to change that," he said.

Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., the bill sponsor and chairman of a natural resources subcommittee with jurisdiction over the issue, said he has deferred to the California delegation on whether more of the California conservation areas should be included in the bill.

But he says he's happy with the overall measure.

"I'm very happy with it," he said. "It's a landmark piece of legislation."

Technicality may cut California desert areas from federally protected status

The proposed National Landscape Conservation Act would unify management and funding of designated areas. But it requires 'national' in the area name, excluding some of the state's sensitive areas.

By Janet Wilson, Staff Writer
Los Angeles Times

Congress is considering permanent protection for 26 million acres of beautiful and historic landscapes in the American West, but has quietly excluded millions of acres of California desert.

In a system that would rival the national parks and forests, the National Landscape Conservation Act would unify the management and funding for areas such as the original Pony Express National Historic Trail, Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail, a million acres of Alaskan caribou calving grounds, 38 wild rivers, Utah's Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, and a tiny ghost town near the Mexican border.

But more than half of the 10.6 million-acre California Desert Conservation Area, which stretches from the Mexican border to Mono Lake, has been dropped on technical grounds. Because the word "national" isn't in its title, the conservation area doesn't qualify, according to U.S. Bureau of Land Management attorneys.

Environmental watchdogs and some land bureau employees say the California area, created by Congress in 1976, is the cornerstone of the fledgling national system. They say the semantics hide political motives: Utility companies have proposed hundreds of miles of electrical transmission corridors through California's deserts, and off-road vehicle enthusiasts oppose further regulation of the area.

"I don't think this is a technicality at all . . . That's a huge hit to desert conservation in California and the Southwest," said Daniel Patterson, director of the southwest office of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, which represents whistle-blowers in government agencies.

The bill does include the King Range National Conservation Area, the Headwaters Forest Reserve, the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument, and just under half -- 3.7 million acres -- of the desert conservation area. Not included are more than 6 million acres of desert. Some of the land has been used for mining and off-roading, but much of it remains pristine, wide-open space.

Patterson said that if the bureau's entire California desert system isn't part of the national system, its conservation designation "would be a protection in name only . . . The California BLM will lose funding, they will lose staff, they'll lose what conservation focus they might have."

Afton Canyon
He said the excluded desert lands, including visually stunning and ecologically important areas such as Afton Canyon and Big Morongo Preserve, would be more at risk from proposed transmission-line corridors, among other projects. In addition, he said, "it could be expanded to off-roading, it could be expanded to mining, it could be expanded to land sales for Southern California urban housing sprawl. It's just a loss."

Others were relieved that major portions of the desert would not come under tighter rules.

"I'm worried about the people who own private land (inside the conservation area), the off-highway users, the ranchers, the miners, the loggers . . . the recreation access to people who just like to go collect rocks," said Chuck Cushman, head of the American Land Rights Assn. "When you put an overlay of national park-like regulations over these lands, you just cut off Americans from those lands."

Although staff members for U.S. Rep. Mary Bono (R-Palm Springs) say she is reluctant to amend the House bill to include the California land, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said she will push to fix the 7-milllion-acre "glitch" in the Senate version.

In many cases, bureau land is open to multiple uses, including mining, grazing and off-road driving. There are no guided tours and few rangers. Officials said that management approach would remain on the national landscape lands.

"There is hunting. There will be no hotels. You can camp pretty much anywhere you want," said Elena Daly, head of the bureau's program that could win permanent protection from Congress.

She said the program also stresses collaboration with local communities, including "sustainable ranching."

Daniel Pfiefer of Costa Mesa is torn by the proposed legislation. Pfiefer, who had just finished a three-day off-road trip along the ancient Mojave trail this week, said he appreciates the difference between national park and land bureau conservation lands. "We came through some national parks areas. You cannot get off any road at all. You can't even have a ground fire in national parks . . . But the BLM areas are very friendly. They don't want you driving out all over the place, it's a 'tread softly' kind of thing. I'm very happy with the way it is right now."

Although he hates the way rogue off-roaders "trash" pristine areas by cutting illegal paths and dumping garbage, the bill proposed by Congress, he said, makes him nervous.

"As a person that absolutely hates rules and regulations myself, I have such a difficult time with it, because I do so much love the outdoors, and I do so much love going out and Jeeping across the trails.

Mojave River crossing in Afton Canyon
"Being an off-roading enthusiast, it scares me to think that if the federal government starts putting their fingers into it, and start sectioning off any portions of the desert, then closing it off is not far behind."

The National Landscape Conservation System was created in 2000 by outgoing Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt to pull together and protect hundreds of conservation areas, monuments, wilderness study areas and other "orphans" of the federal bureau. All of the bureau's California desert lands were included. Unlike the proposed law, Babbit's executive order can be rescinded by the current or future Interior secretary.

"A constant threat is that it could be dissolved and dismantled at any point in time, with the many properties truly becoming 'orphans,' " Ian Wilson, spokesman for the nonprofit Sonoran Institute, a Tucson-based environmental policy group, said about California's desert area.

Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne supports the bill as written. A broad coalition of more than 70 outdoor sports, environmental, historical preservation and religious groups is pushing for passage of the legislation, which would also establish a line item in the federal budget for annual funding. Currently the program receives $50 million a year.

"I think we are all about to witness the next major conservation system for the United States," said Daly on a recent tour of several program sites, including the Las Cienegas National Conservation Area grasslands that stretch for 48,000 acres outside of Tucson.

It is hard to see the difference on the ground between some of the included and excluded areas. The Las Cienegas area is named for the Hundred Waters creek that flows across the Sonoran desert floor between mountain ranges in the Sky Island region, its willow and cottonwood-lined banks providing shade and forage for 230 bird species. "Oklahoma" and "Red River" were filmed on the sweeping grasslands decades ago, and ranchers and land bureau managers have laboriously ripped out invasive mesquite that is overtaking the grasses.

Five hundred miles to the west, the Mojave River bubbles up out of the parched desert in Afton Canyon, nourishing more than 180 bird species. Hundreds of films, including "Letters From Iwo Jima," and "Kill Bill" were filmed in the desert area.

Daly says it's not her job to tell Congress whether some or all of California's deserts should be included. But she said it's not too late for the omitted lands to be added, if that's what Congress wants.

"The bill is in draft form," she said. "It's not a done deal."

Bill would help protect our desert paradise

EDITORIAL
The Desert Sun [Palm Springs CA]

What makes this desert paradise we live in unique is that it is a desert paradise and we should do all we can to protect the precious landscape and its creatures.

The California Desert and Mountain Heritage Act, H.R. 3682, would provide that protection. It is sponsored in the U.S. House by Rep. Mary Bono, R-Palm Springs, who is working with Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif. to expand the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument. More than 40,000 acres in the Joshua Tree National Park would be designated as wilderness and certain river segments would be protected as "wild, scenic, or recreational."

The land would receive the highest level of protection under federal law. That means no Motocross, no bicycles - just pure and simple preservation for all time.

There are concerns about gaining access to fight fires. Fires in remote areas are often fought by air, in addition to ground crews.

Because we're talking about thousands of acres of designated natural habitat, we're looking at land that has virtually no private property to defend.

In addition, Bono has addressed some of the concerns in the bill. Necessary measures for control and prevention of fire, insects and diseases will be afforded to the land as deemed appropriate by the Secretary of Agriculture.

The Secretary has six months after the enactment to prepare management plans for the area.

In addition, certain, small areas considered sacred sites of Native American tribes will be closed to the general public, but open to tribal members for traditional cultural and religious purposes.

Again, such areas are not expansive, but are important to the native people of the land and this Act ensures respect of native tribes and protection of their history and culture.

The area also is home to threatened wildlife species. Another 40,000 acres in the park would be designated as potential wilderness while the National Park Service settled property claims.

This is a good bill that has the teeth to ensure protection of one of the most beautiful spots on earth.

Words can't describe dusk at Joshua Tree National Park, but a bill to protect that time of day, every day, can and should.

Protection sought for Joshua Tree wilderness

Diana Marrero
Desert Sun Washington Bureau




Jay Calderon, The Desert Sun
Proposed legislation would expand the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument and designate nearly 40,000 acres in Joshua Tree National Park for conservation.

WASHINGTON - About 200,000 acres of public land in and around the Coachella Valley would be designated as wilderness areas under a bill the House is considering. Such a designation provides the highest level of protection under federal law.

"These areas are an impressive example of our continually changing landscape, as the San Andreas fault quite literally cuts through the region, creating unique peaks and views of the nearby Salton Sea," Rep. Mary Bono said during a hearing Tuesday in front of the House Natural Resources Committee.

Bono, R-Palm Springs, the main House sponsor, is working with Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., on the legislation.

The legislation would expand the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument and designate nearly 40,000 acres in Joshua Tree National Park for conservation. Another 40,000 acres in the park would be designated as potential wilderness until the National Park Service settles property claims.

The lands provide habitat for threatened Peninsular bighorn sheep, the desert tortoise and bald eagles.

The bill also would designate 31 miles of four California rivers as wild and scenic: the North Fork of the San Jacinto River, Fuller Mill Creek, Palm Canyon Creek and Bautista Creek.

"These are places of respite from the fast pace of modern life," said Geary Hund, the associate director of the Coachella Valley Mountains Conservancy. The Idyllwild resident testified in front of the committee.

As the bill moves through the House, local advocates continue efforts to ward off development by buying remaining parcels of land within the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto monument that are still owned privately.

Bill opponents say the designation would restrict people from using bicycles and other, mechanized vehicles in those areas and could make it tougher for land managers to control fires near homes. Bono said she has excluded certain lands for protections to take those things into account.

The Partnership for America, a conservative nonprofit that works on natural resource policies, said in a letter to the panel that Bono's efforts do not address their concerns. The group is headed by former Rep. Richard Pombo, who drew ire from environmentalists when he was chairman of the Natural Resources Committee until he lost his seat last year. Members of off-road vehicle and motorcycle groups signed the letter.

The bill was one of five the committee considered Tuesday. Together, they would add a half-million acres in five states - Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico and Oregon - to the National Wilderness Preservation System.

Hund said the monument and other wilderness areas in Riverside County need protection.

"Lands such as these are increasingly rare in our world and we must make every effort to preserve them," he said.