Mojave Trails National Monument

Mojave Trails National Monument
Name	Mojave Trails National Monument
Nearest city	Barstow, California
Area	1,600,000 acres
Established	January 11, 2016
Governing body	Bureau of Land Management

Contents

Mojave Trails National Monument is a large protected area in the Mojave Desert of southeastern California, designated by Presidential Proclamation in 2016 during the administration of Barack Obama and administered primarily by the Bureau of Land Management. The monument lies between the Joshua Tree National Park and the Mojave National Preserve, encompassing a mosaic of desert pavement, playa, and alluvial fan landscapes that include historic routes such as U.S. Route 66 and Cold War-era sites like China Lake. Its establishment reflects federal land-use policy debates involving stakeholders including Department of the Interior, National Park Service, California State Parks, and regional communities around Victorville, California and Needles, California.

Overview

Mojave Trails National Monument protects an expanse of the Mojave Desert corridor bounded by major transportation and conservation nodes including Interstate 15 (California), Interstate 40, and the Colorado River. The proclamation united parcels formerly managed under multiple Bureau of Land Management field offices to conserve geological features such as the Cadiz Dunes, the Cottonwood Mountains (California), and the Amboy Crater volcanic field near Amboy, California. The monument is contiguous with Mojave National Preserve and abuts Joshua Tree National Park, forming a networked landscape for regional conservation initiatives spearheaded by organizations such as the Sierra Club, The Nature Conservancy, and local tribes including the Chemehuevi Indian Tribe.

Spanning roughly between Barstow, California and Twentynine Palms, California, the monument includes diverse physiographic features like the Ivanpah Valley, the Mojave River sub-basin, and the Cadiz Valley. Elevations range from basin floors near Cadiz, California to uplands adjacent to the Old Woman Mountains Wilderness, creating gradients that support distinct soil, hydrological, and geomorphic processes found in places such as Soda Dry Lake and Bristol Dry Lake. Volcanic features around Amboy Crater and lava fields within the monument provide important records for Pleistocene and Holocene volcanism studied by geologists from institutions such as University of California, Los Angeles and California Institute of Technology.

The monument encompasses habitat for iconic desert flora including Joshua tree groves, creosote bush scrub, and endemic species of the Mojave Desert floristic province observed and cataloged by researchers from University of California, Riverside and Desert Research Institute. Fauna documented in the area include populations of desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii), bighorn sheep, kit fox, coyote, and burrowing owl, with monitoring programs run by agencies such as U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and conservation groups like Desert Survivors. Riparian corridors along ephemeral washes support migratory birds tracked by partners including Audubon Society and Point Reyes Bird Observatory.

Archaeological and cultural resources within the monument span prehistoric occupations of Indigenous peoples including Chemehuevi, Mojave (tribe), and Serrano people, with petroglyphs, lithic scatters, and habitation sites studied by archaeologists from University of California, Berkeley and San Bernardino County Museum. Historic corridors such as U.S. Route 66 and remnants of Santa Fe Railway infrastructure intersect mining districts tied to companies like Kennecott and regional booms linked to events such as the Silver Rush (19th century). Cold War-era installations and testing sites reflect military and scientific activities by institutions such as Edwards Air Force Base and research laboratories at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake.

Recreational opportunities include backcountry hiking, off-highway vehicle use on designated routes, birdwatching promoted by regional chapters of Audubon Society, and heritage tourism along Route 66 towns like Amboy, California. Access is provided via major highways Interstate 40 and Interstate 15 (California), rail corridors including BNSF Railway, and local roads serving trailheads near Kelso Dunes and Mojave Road. Visitor services and interpretation are offered in partnership with entities such as National Parks Conservation Association and local chambers of commerce in Baker, California.

Management is led by the Bureau of Land Management under the authorities of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 and guided by Presidential Proclamation directives from Barack Obama. Implementation involves coordination with California Department of Fish and Wildlife, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, regional tribal governments including the Chemehuevi Indian Tribe, and conservation NGOs such as The Wilderness Society and Natural Resources Defense Council. Land use planning addresses multiple-use mandates and protective designations like adjoining Wilderness Study Areas and conservation easements negotiated with private landholders and agencies including Bureau of Reclamation.

Key threats include habitat fragmentation from proposed utility-scale solar power and transmission projects reviewed by California Energy Commission, invasive species such as tamarisk and invasive grasses documented by U.S. Geological Survey, climate-change-driven shifts studied by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and impacts from off-highway vehicle misuse regulated under Land Use Planning processes. Cultural resource degradation, illegal dumping, and pressures from nearby urban expansion in Victorville, California and Hesperia, California pose ongoing management challenges addressed through enforcement by Bureau of Land Management rangers, collaborative restoration programs with The Nature Conservancy, and research partnerships with universities including University of California, Santa Barbara.