If the Senate has its way, the
nation's newest national park would have its heart cut out. At stake is a
290,000-acre rectangle that could be excised from a hauntingly beautiful park
in California's high desert. Under the Senate version of the California
Desert Protection Act, the 1.2 million-acre Mojave National Park would be
missing a huge parcel that includes granite mountain ranges, extinct volcanoes,
flat-topped mesas, Native American petroglyphs and habitat for bighorn sheep,
mountain lions and desert tortoises. The Lanfair Valley Deletion Area was
proposed in an amendment by Sen. Malcolm Wallop, R-Wyo., who justified it in
the name of protecting private property. But there are only about 30,000 acres
of private property within the huge parcel. The way private property in
national parks is usually handled is that the federal government buys out the
landowners over time. That's what should be done in Mojave National Park.
Unfortunately, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., the leading proponent of the
Desert Protection Act, was unable to get rid of the Wallop amendment before the
bill passed on a 69-29 vote. Now, the House must revise its bill and the two
versions then go to a House-Senate conference committee. The House version
needs to restore the Lanfair Valley area to Mojave National Park. Leading
the charge in the House will be Rep. George Miller, D-Martinez, who is the
powerful head of the Natural Resources Committee, where the House version of
the desert bill will be written. Miller is expected to insist that all of
Mojave National Park be included in the House bill. |
He certainly should. Not only is
Mojave National Park a place of rare beauty that's rich in plants and animals,
but it also is the most accessible of the three proposed desert national parks
contained in the bill. Mojave would be located between two freeways. Along
its northern border is Interstate 15, the freeway that links Los Angeles to Las
Vegas. The park could become a big attraction for Southern California. The
National Park Service estimates that Mojave National Park would draw more than
1 million visitors a year. A park service study showed that the park could
create 1,100 to 2,000 jobs, annual tax benefits ranging from $2.7 million to
$16.5 million, and visitor sales ranging from $55 million to $99 million.
Restoring Mojave National Park in the Desert Protection Act is an
economic as well as an environmental issue for Southern California. It would
protect the delicate land and produce more economic benefits for Californians
than the region does today. When the California Desert Protection Act lands
on President Clinton's desk later this year, it must include the entire Mojave
National Park. |