Twenty Years of Conservation and Recreation: Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument
Tracy Albrecht, Interpretive Specialist, Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains, Sand to Snow and California Coast National Monuments
Bureau of Land Management, Palm Springs-South Coast Field Office
As the twentieth anniversary of Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument ends, I want to give a “shout out” to the many special efforts and celebrations which commemorated two decades since its establishment on October 24, 2000. A public bioblitz event, nature hikes, Visitor Center restoration, Palm Springs Life magazine’s photo contest, Making a Monument article and special logo all contributed to an exceptional year of increased awareness. The magnitude of splendor in the places within make me feel the events are well worthy of the twenty-year tribute. I also reflect on the natural, cultural, and geological resources within. The perceptions of these treasures on Public Land range from global recognition as world class to being deeply personal. To encourage continued appreciation, I want to share my five top themes that make this national monument worthy of continued conservation, exploration, and study.
1. The Monument encompasses geological resources that form major features including steep granite peaks, rounded boulder fields, sand dune systems and palm oases. There are severe angles of repose beyond what many people can imaging and many contrasting environments within the National Monument. The Monument encompasses diverse biological communities that range from near sea level to over 10,000’.
2. Throughout time, people have adapted their lifestyles and modified the landscape to live in the Monument’s seemingly inhospitable environments. The rugged lands in Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument were the traditional homeland of the Cahuilla Indians. Their culture is intimately connected to this landscape, a place where they have called home since time immemorial. Ten federally- recognized bands of Cahuilla Indians live in this region as independent and sovereign nations. Thankfully the Cahuilla People who lived closer to the land than I can even imagine continue to share their rich culture. With immigration to the west through mining, farming, ranching, and exploration came settlers who remained and began the urbanization we see today outside the boundaries of the national monument. Hollywood added glitz to the desert cities and while the resort atmosphere is maintained, the Coachella Valley alone has a population of approximately 370,000 people. Whether lit by sunrise glow, mid-day brightness or evening backdrop, we are all touched daily from a glimpse of the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains.
3. The management of the land is as diverse as the matrix of the landscapes and ecosystems that comprise the Monument. A partnership by two federal agencies, the Bureau of Land Management and US Forest Service manage the monument for conservation, recreation, and a changing future. The myriad of staff involved understand that health of the land is determined by the relationships of its living and non-living components, and their response to external changes. Some are natural (desertification due to rising of Mount San Jacinto), some human triggered (urbanization – introduction of domesticated plant and animal species, light pollution, use, water use, habitat displacement). Resultantly there are threatened and endangered species and managers give serious attention to Coachella Valley Fringe-toed Lizard and Milk Vetch, Santa Rosa Mountain population of Peninsular Bighorn Sheep. It is a constant challenge to maintain healthy lands by management while balancing needs for procuring recreational opportunities among a growing urban setting. Community-based collaboration and support is the foundation and a unique characteristic of the Monument. Non-government groups Friends of the Desert Mountains play a critical role in operations to maintain a healthy landscape, provide recreational trails and services and reach out to the public with educational programs. Research by institutions such as University of California Riverside Center for Conservation Biology contributes to understanding trends impacting plants and wildlife.
4. World class recreation experiences are available in the National Monument. The hiking, backpacking, mountain biking, photography, camping, and night sky and wildlife watching opportunities are exceptional. Seasonal influences with the right conditions (early and consistent precipitation) create world class wildflower displays. The abundance and diversity create a surprise flash of color, sometimes carpeting the environment, sometimes creating palates of color. This draws visitors from far away. Trails originating at urban front country areas are at a minimum in many circumstances as one can easily access steep trails which transform the setting from urban to wild, quickly, and easily. The more remote interior trails provided for access to enriching experiences, and to inspiring, scenic landscapes even into Wilderness areas managed by BLM, USFS, State Parks and by Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians.
5. In many of my interpretive talks you’ll hear me say that one of America’s greatest gifts is Public Lands. These are areas of land and water that today are owned collectively by U.S. citizens and managed by government agencies. You can think of it as land you own and share with everyone else in the United States. Many federal agencies manage Public Lands for multiple uses, from recreation to timber to energy extraction, but in some form or another every American has a say in how these places get used. Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument is a great example of Public Lands, accessible to many with a large variety of access offerings. I’ve always been one to feel more at peace in the outdoors and am elevated by simply stepping into the Monument. Like many I take great joy in the song of a bird, a crawling lizard, a budding flower, a sculpture of mud and it has been that way since I can remember. One evening when I was talking with some neighbor children I was asked, “How come it was more fun when you were a kid?” Well, the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument is a place to use all our senses, and that leads to childlike curiosity, engagement, and good memories. It was well worth celebrating this past twentieth anniversary. From a kickoff bioblitz event to Palm Springs Life photo contest to a National Public Lands work day, all commemorate two decades of its establishment on October 24, 2000. What is the best way to finish this year of acknowledgement? Well, I say get out there and discover in your own way.