California Desert

Help Protect our Deserts

In 1994 Congress passed the California Desert Protection Act which established Death Valley and Joshua Tree National Parks and the Mojave National Preserve.  This Act protected millions of acres of wild lands in our fragile desert ecosystems.

However, millions of acres of lands are still not permanently protected and face a myriad of threats including off-road vehicle abuse, mining, and new power lines.

Over the last 15 years, organizations have been working to defend these priceless areas for future generations. It’s time for Congress to take action and finish the job that was started in 1994. 

You can help

We are collecting letters from across the state to weigh-in with Senator Feinstein who lead the efforts on the 1994 bill. We are hoping that she will be able to finish this work by increasing the protections for hundreds of thousands of acres of land.

Please write a brief, heartfelt letter and email it here. Please take a minute to do this today so that we can hand deliver it to Sen. Feinstein in Washington D.C. 

Sample letter

Subject: Thank You for Protecting the Desert

Dear Senator Feinstein:

I am writing to thank you for considering introducing legislation that would create new national monuments, wilderness areas, national park additions and wild and scenic rivers in the California desert. These designations would link Joshua Tree National Park and the Mojave National Preserve and protect important wildlife habitat and beautiful scenery as well as affirm the principle that lands donated for conservation purposes should actually be protected.

I believe that greatly enhancing renewable-energy generation and protecting our public lands are compatible goals, but only if large-scale energy projects are directed away from sensitive lands such as those in the proposed monument. Please move forward with a bill that protects this important part of California's natural heritage.

Thank you, 

YOUR NAME 

YOUR ADDRESS

Or call Senator Feinstein: (202) 224-3841