81 FR 8371 - Establishment of the Mojave Trails National Monument
Executive Office of the President
Federal Register Volume 81, Issue 32 (February 18, 2016)
Page Range
8371-8377
FR Document
2016-03544
Federal Register, Volume 81 Issue 32 (Thursday, February 18, 2016)
[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 32 (Thursday, February 18, 2016)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 8371-8377]
From the Federal Register Online [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2016-03544]
Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 32 / Thursday, February 18, 2016 /
Presidential Documents
[[Page 8371]]
Proclamation 9395 of February 12, 2016
Establishment of the Mojave Trails National
Monument
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
The Mojave Trails area of southern California is a
stunning mosaic of rugged mountain ranges, ancient lava
flows, and spectacular sand dunes. It is a landscape
defined by scarcity and shaped by travel. The area
exemplifies the remarkable ecology of the Mojave
Desert, where the hearty insistence of life is
scratched out from unrelenting heat and dryness. This
punishing environment has also forged the unique human
history of the area, from ancient settlements uprooted
by a changing climate to the armies of General George
S. Patton, Jr., as they trained for battle in North
Africa. With historic American trading routes, trails
followed by Spanish explorers, a transcontinental rail
line, and the Nation's most famous highway, the Mojave
Trails area tells the American story of exploration,
migration, and commerce. The Mojave Trails area is an
invaluable treasure and will continue to serve as an
irreplaceable national resource for geologists,
ecologists, archaeologists, and historians for
generations to come.
The Mojave Trails area has been a focus of geological
research for decades. This unique landscape contains a
stunning diversity of lava flows, mountains, playas,
sand dunes, bajadas, washes, and other features. The
area contains a number of significant sand dune
features, most notably the stunning Cadiz Dunes, which
have been extensively studied. The mountains of the
Mojave Trails area include several significant
formations, and seismologists have studied this area
for insight into faulting, tectonics, and magmatism. A
number of young volcanoes and their associated lava
flows in the area have been heavily studied by
volcanologists. Amboy Crater, designated as a National
Natural Landmark in 1973, has been the focus of
research on a number of volcanic phenomena. The Pisgah
Volcano lava flow's vast network of lava tubes
constitutes southern California's highest density of
caves, and is used by both speleologists and
recreational cavers. The area's terrain and geology
have provided a surrogate for lunar and Martian
landscapes, and many of the robotic and imaging
technologies used to better understand volcanism and
Aeolian processes have been developed and tested in the
Mojave Trails area.
Outstanding paleontological resources can be found
throughout the Mojave Trails area. The Cady Mountains
contain important fossil fauna assemblages dating to
the Miocene Period. The Marble Mountain Fossil Bed area
contains one of the classic Cambrian trilobite fossil
sites in the Western United States. Set in the green-
brown lower Cambrian Latham Shale, the fossil beds also
contain the fossilized remains of brachiopods,
mollusks, echinoderms, and algal bodies that are of
great interest to paleontologists. The southern Bristol
Mountains contain Tertiary fossils such as camel
tracks, invertebrates, and numerous plants; this fossil
history has also been used to understand the climate
history of the Mojave Desert. Significant vertebrate
fossils and other fossil resources have also been
identified in Piute Valley and Cadiz Valley as well as
the Ship Mountains, Little Piute Mountains, and
Sacramento Mountains.
The Mojave Trails area has been important for
ecological research, including studies on the effects
of climate change and land management practices
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on ecological communities and wildlife. It provides
opportunity for further research on ecological
connectivity in the Mojave Desert region, as it is
among the most ecologically intact areas in southern
California. The species that have managed to thrive
here are specialists in perseverance and
resourcefulness and are remarkable for their ability to
withstand the desert extremes. The area's scarce
springs and riparian areas such as Afton Canyon,
Chuckwalla Spring, Hummingbird Spring, Barrel Spring,
and Fenner Spring provide refuges for a wide variety of
plants and animals. The complex network of groundwater
underlying the Mojave Trails area has been the subject
of past and ongoing hydrological study. Underground
aquifers feed springs and seeps that are important for
sensitive ecosystems and wildlife, though specific
connections are not yet well understood.
Rare plant species such as the scrub lotus, rosy two-
tone beardtongue, whitemargin beardtongue, Emory's
crucifixion-thorn, small-flowered androstephium, white-
margined penstemon, and Borrego milkvetch rely on the
specific habitat types found in the Mojave Trails area.
The Piute Valley area in the northeastern part of the
Mojave Trails area is home to the northernmost
occurrences of smoke trees in the California desert, as
well as the Homer Mountain Ocotillo Assemblage. The
lowlands and middle elevations are also home to other
unique or ecologically significant plants such as the
endemic Orocopia Mountains spurge. Numerous cactus
species are also found here, including the densest
concentration of Bigelow cholla cactus in California.
Ongoing research in the Mojave Trails area has
identified other plant species that are new to science,
many of which have not yet been described.
Birds including the endangered Least Bell's vireo,
southwestern willow flycatcher, and yellow-billed
cuckoo depend on this area, as do raptors such as the
burrowing owl, red-tailed hawk, golden eagle, American
kestrel, and prairie falcon. Fragile desert fish
species such as the bonytail chub rely on the scarce
waters of the desert riparian ecosystems. A wide
variety of fascinating native mammal species can be
found in the Mojave Trails area, including the kit fox,
ringtail, American badger, mountain lion, and bighorn
sheep. Reptiles and amphibians, including the Mojave
Desert's largest lizard, the chuckwalla, have been
extensively studied in the Mojave Trails area. The area
contains some of the Mojave Desert's best habitat for
the threatened desert tortoise and provides important
dispersal corridors for that fragile species. An
unusual community of invertebrates associated with lava
tubes in the Pisgah area offers an ongoing opportunity
for entomological research.
Humans have lived in and moved through the Mojave
Trails area for more than 10,000 years. The
archeological record tells of a human existence shaped
by a changing climate. During the Paleo-Indian period,
now-dry lakes provided fresh water to small groups of
nomadic people and the animals they hunted. From around
7,000 to 2,000 BC, rising temperatures resulted in a
change from wet to dry conditions. Associated
ecological changes in the region led to new patterns of
subsistence for native peoples. Although people
remained closely tied to water sources following the
temperature increase, desert inhabitants adjusted their
diets to rely more heavily on plants and fish, invented
new tools, and expanded the sizes of their social
groups. During the Formative Period (2,500 to 1,500
BC), dry conditions meant the inhabitants of the Mojave
Desert remained in small groups. They relied heavily
for their survival on the Mojave River, a name derived
from the traditional name for these people, Pipa Aha
Macav (``the people by the river''). The Mojave people
left their mark on the landscape through petroglyphs,
pictographs, old trails, and stone work, some of which
can still be found today, especially near springs and
rivers and along the shores of now-extinct lakes.
The Mojave were not the only people to use or pass
through this landscape. Ancestors of the Chemehuevi
Indian Tribe, a branch of the Southern Paiute, have
been persistent occupants of the Mojave Desert for
thousands of years.
[[Page 8373]]
Sacred Chemehuevi trails are often tied to traditional
and ceremonial songs. The Salt Song Trail, one of the
longest song trails of the Chemehuevi people, passes
through the Mojave Trails area near the town of Fenner
and the Ward Valley. Natural land patterns form the
route of this trail, with specific songs sung at
specific wayside locations. Other Native Americans who
have lived in or passed through the Mojave Desert
include the Shoshone, Serrano, Kawaiisu, and the
Paiute. The Ward Valley, located between the Old Woman
and Piute Mountains, is sacred to a number of these
tribes, as are the Mesquite and Crucero Hills, which
contain over 50 archaeological sites including
petroglyphs, milling stations, temporary camps,
intaglios, lithic scatters, and pottery dating as far
back as 4,000 years.
The Mojave Trails area has been a critical travel
corridor for millennia, linking the Pacific Coast to
the deserts of the southwest and beyond. The Mojave
Indian Trail is the earliest known travel route passing
through the Mojave Trails area, used by Native
Americans for thousands of years and by early Spanish
explorers and traders. In 1829, Mexican explorer
Antonio Armijo pioneered the Old Spanish Trail through
this area. Evidence of the trail, now designated a
National Historic Trail, can still be found at Afton
Canyon.
By the end of the 19th century, transcontinental rail
travel had changed the American West in profound ways.
In 1882, Southern Pacific constructed a railroad route
from Barstow to Needles. In addition to the major rail
stops established at Needles and Barstow, several
smaller towns and rail stops were established along
this stretch, including the alphabetically named Amboy,
Bristol, Cadiz, Danby, Essex, Fenner, and Goffs. These
towns remain, some as inhabited hamlets and others as
abandoned ghost towns, and some historical artifacts
from the original rail line still exist, including
original rail ties and track and later improvements of
communications poles, insulators, and wires.
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.
In addition to its important role in the transportation
history of the United States, the Mojave Trails area is
a unique resource for understanding one of the most
formative periods in American military history. During
the height of World War II, the United States military
recognized a need to develop a desert training program
in order to prepare its troops to fight
[[Page 8374]]
the tank armies of Nazi Germany in North Africa. Major
General George S. Patton, Jr., commander of the I
Armored Corps, selected the site of the Desert Training
Center in the Mojave Trails area, the largest training
area in the world at the time. More than one million
troops trained in the area between 1942 and 1944,
including at Camp Ibis, Camp Clipper, Camp Iron
Mountain, Camp Granite, and Camp Essex. Remnants of
these camps can still be found today, including rock-
lined streets, staging areas, flag circles, altars,
tent areas, and even tank tracks on some of the area's
hardpan playas.
The protection of the Mojave Trails area will preserve
its cultural, prehistoric, and historic legacy and
maintain its diverse array of natural and scientific
resources, ensuring that the prehistoric, historic, and
scientific values of this area remain for the benefit
of all Americans.
WHEREAS, section 320301 of title 54, United States Code
(known as the ``Antiquities Act''), authorizes the
President, in his discretion, to declare by public
proclamation historic landmarks, historic and
prehistoric structures, and other objects of historic
or scientific interest that are situated upon the lands
owned or controlled by the Federal Government to be
national monuments, and to reserve as a part thereof
parcels of land, the limits of which in all cases shall
be confined to the smallest area compatible with the
proper care and management of the objects to be
protected;
WHEREAS, it is in the public interest to preserve the
objects of scientific and historic interest on the
Mojave Trails lands;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the
United States of America, by the authority vested in me
by section 320301 of title 54, United States Code,
hereby proclaim the objects identified above that are
situated upon lands and interests in lands owned or
controlled by the Federal Government to be the Mojave
Trails National Monument (monument) and, for the
purpose of protecting those objects, reserve as part
thereof all lands and interests in lands owned or
controlled by the Federal Government within the
boundaries described on the accompanying map, which is
attached to and forms a part of this proclamation.
These reserved Federal lands and interests in lands
encompass approximately 1.6 million acres. The
boundaries described on the accompanying map are
confined to the smallest area compatible with the
proper care and management of the objects to be
protected.
All Federal lands and interests in lands within the
boundaries of the monument are hereby appropriated and
withdrawn from all forms of entry, location, selection,
sale, or other disposition under the public land laws,
from location, entry, and patent under the mining laws,
and from disposition under all laws relating to mineral
and geothermal leasing, other than by exchange that
furthers the protective purposes of the monument or
disposal for the limited purpose of providing materials
for repairing or maintaining roads and bridges within
the monument consistent with care and management of the
objects identified above.
The establishment of the monument is subject to valid
existing rights. If the Federal Government acquires any
lands or interests in lands not owned or controlled by
the Federal Government within the boundaries described
on the accompanying map, such lands and interests in
lands shall be reserved as a part of the monument, and
objects identified above that are situated upon those
lands and interests in lands shall be part of the
monument, upon acquisition of ownership or control by
the Federal Government.
The Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) shall manage
the monument through the Bureau of Land Management
(BLM) as a unit of the National Landscape Conservation
System, pursuant to applicable legal authorities, to
protect the objects identified above.
For purposes of the care and management of the objects
identified above, the Secretary, through the BLM, shall
within 3 years of the date of this proclamation prepare
and maintain a management plan for the monument
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and shall provide for maximum public involvement in the
development of that plan including, but not limited to,
consultation with tribal, State, and local governments.
Nothing in this proclamation shall be construed to
preclude the renewal or assignment of, or interfere
with the operation or maintenance of, or with the
replacement, modification, or upgrade within or
adjacent to an existing authorization boundary of,
existing flood control, utility, pipeline, or
telecommunications facilities that are located within
the monument in a manner consistent with the care and
management of the objects identified above. Existing
flood control, utility, pipeline, or telecommunications
facilities located within the monument may be expanded,
and new facilities may be constructed within the
monument, but only to the extent consistent with the
care and management of the objects identified above.
The Secretary shall work with appropriate State
officials to ensure the availability of water
resources, including groundwater resources, needed for
monument purposes.
Except for emergency or authorized administrative
purposes, motorized vehicle use in the monument shall
be permitted only on roads existing as of the date of
this proclamation. Non-motorized mechanized vehicle use
shall be permitted only on roads and trails designated
for their use consistent with the care and management
of the objects identified above. The Secretary shall
prepare a transportation plan that designates the roads
and trails where motorized or non-motorized mechanized
vehicle use will be permitted.
Laws, regulations, and policies followed by the BLM in
issuing and administering grazing permits or leases on
lands under its jurisdiction, including provisions
specific to the California Desert Conservation Area,
shall continue to apply with regard to the lands in the
monument, consistent with the care and management of
the objects identified above.
Nothing in this proclamation shall be deemed to enlarge
or diminish the jurisdiction of the State of
California, including its jurisdiction and authority
with respect to fish and wildlife management.
Nothing in this proclamation shall preclude low level
overflights of military aircraft, the designation of
new units of special use airspace, the use or
establishment of military flight training routes over
the lands reserved by this proclamation, or related
military uses, consistent with the care and management
of the objects identified above.
Nothing in this proclamation shall alter the Department
of Defense's use of the Restricted Airspace established
by the Federal Aviation Administration. Further,
nothing in this proclamation shall preclude (i) air or
ground access for existing or new electronic tracking
and communications; (ii) landing and drop zones; and
(iii) readiness and training by the U.S. Armed
Services, Joint and Coalition forces, including
training using motorized vehicles both on and off road,
in accordance with applicable interagency agreements.
Nothing in this proclamation shall be construed to
alter the authority or responsibility of any party with
respect to emergency response activities within the
monument, including wildland fire response.
Nothing in this proclamation shall be deemed to enlarge
or diminish the rights of any Indian tribe. The
Secretary shall, to the maximum extent permitted by law
and in consultation with Indian tribes, ensure the
protection of Indian sacred sites and cultural sites in
the monument and provide access to the sites by members
of Indian tribes for traditional cultural and customary
uses, consistent with the American Indian Religious
Freedom Act (42 U.S.C. 1996) and Executive Order 13007
of May 24, 1996 (Indian Sacred Sites).
Nothing in this proclamation shall be deemed to revoke
any existing withdrawal, reservation, or appropriation;
however, the monument shall be the dominant
reservation.
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Warning is hereby given to all unauthorized persons not
to appropriate, injure, destroy, or remove any feature
of the monument and not to locate or settle upon any of
the lands thereof.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
twelfth day of February, in the year of our Lord two
thousand sixteen, and of the Independence of the United
States of America the two hundred and fortieth.
(Presidential Sig.)
Billing code 3295-F6-P
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[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TD18FE16.001
[FR Doc. 2016-03544
Filed 2-17-16; 11:15 am]
Billing code 4310-10-C