More about the new Mojave Trails National Monument

Amboy Crater by BLM

Media reports and news releases from the U.S. government have provided more details about President Barack Obama’s declaration Friday of 1.6 million acres of Southern California desert as the Mojave Trails National Monument.

The monument includes 105 miles of Route 66 from Needles to Ludlow, California. The president’s declaration for the Mojave Trails National Monument may be read here, but this is the most relevant section:

A modest dirt road — an original trackside component of the railroad project — would later become the most famous highway in America.  In 1911, in the infancy of the automobile era, the County of San Bernardino paved the first stretch of that road from Barstow to Needles.  The next year, this stretch became part of the National Old Trails Road, which extended more than 3,000 miles from New York, New York, to Los Angeles, California, and connected the American coasts by pavement for the first time.  In 1926, the road was officially designated as U.S. Highway 66, a designation soon known around the world as Route 66.  During the 1930s, Route 66 became an important route for migrants escaping economic hardships of the Great Depression and droughts in the Central plains.  As the national economy rebounded following World War II, Americans took to the highways in unprecedented numbers.  The road became an American icon, earning the nickname the “Main Street of America” and inspiring popular culture through music, literature, and film.

The popularity of Route 66, however, hastened its downfall; increasing traffic quickly exceeded its two-lane capacity.  In 1985, Route 66 was officially decommissioned, leaving behind a powerful albeit fragmented narrative history of America’s automobile culture of the first half of the 20th century and its legacy of related commerce and architecture.  The Mojave Trails area contains the longest remaining undeveloped stretch of Route 66, offering spectacular and serene desert vistas and a glimpse into what travelers experienced during the peak of the route’s popularity in the mid-20th century.  Today, the ghost towns along this stretch of Route 66 are a visual legacy of how the automobile shaped the American landscape.

The White House also posted photos from the Mojave Trails National Monument on its blog, along with two other new declarations, the Sand to Snow National Monument and the Castle Mountains National Monument.

A fact sheet from the U.S. Department of Interior delves into common questions about newly declared national monuments, including the Mojave Trails. Here are a few excerpts from the Mojave Trails National Monument section worth noting:

— “The area generally may not be disposed of by the United States and is closed to new extractive uses such as mining and oil and gas development, subject to valid existing rights and limited use for road maintenance by state and local government. The proclamation allows new rights of way across the monument for certain purposes, but only if consistent with the care and management of monument objects.”

— “The designation preserves and enhances public access, such as for hunting and fishing, which continue to be managed by the State of California.”

— “Use and maintenance of highways is not affected, including limited access to mineral materials by state and local government for purposes of road maintenance.”

— The Secretary of the Interior must form a management plan for the area within three years, with advice from tribal, state, local governments and the BLM’s Desert Advisory Council.

— “The designation allows motorized and non-motorized mechanized (e.g. mountain biking) vehicle use on roads and trails designated for their use, and otherwise restricts use except for emergency or authorized administrative purposes. Motorized vehicle use is limited to roads existing as of the date of this proclamation.”

The president flew into Palm Springs, California, on Friday, reported The Desert Sun. The newspaper said Obama had no public events scheduled for the weekend, but he is in town for Monday’s two-day summit with leaders from 10 Southeast Asian nations. He reportedly is staying in the Thunderbird Heights section of nearby Rancho Mirage, California.

But with Obama’s open weekend schedule, it wouldn’t be surprising if he and his entourage do a quick tour of Route 66 and take in its attractions, such as hiking into Amboy Crater.

(Image of Amboy Crater in Amboy, California, by the Bureau of Land Management via Flickr)

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