Established in 1976, Congress passed this act which set aside a 25-million acre expanse of desert lands in southern California in accordance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act. (2) This land comprises about a fourth of California’s land, and includes sand dunes, canyons, dry lakes, 90 mountain ranges, and 65 wilderness areas. (1) This land helps protect species at risk, such as Agassiz’s desert tortoise, the Peninsular bighorn sheep, the cushenberry buckwheat, and others. (1)

Off-highway vehicle (OHV) activity in the desert causes continual and acute environmental degradation. This bill, backed by California State Senator Ben Allen, regulates OHV activity. It does so through five main points. First, the bill requires the preparation and implementation of wildlife habitat protection plans in state vehicular recreation areas. Second, the bill includes information actions to be taken -- requiring all plans, reports, and studies related to OHV recreation to be posted online. Third, the bill requires the establishment, review, and periodic update of soil conservation standards. Fourth, the bill has a monitoring requirement, ensuring that the soil and wildlife standards are being met. And fifth, the bill has an overarching requirement to protect natural, cultural, and archaeological resources within OHV recreational areas. This bill was approved in October 2017.

The Center for Biological Diversity (also known as “The Center”) is a non-profit corporation dedicated to the preservation, protection, and restoration of biodiversity, native species, ecosystems, and public lands. This organization has helped file suit against the Bureau of Land Management for inadequate desert land management under the California Desert Conservation Area (CDCA) in conjunction with the Sierra Club. The organization also has California desert-specific campaigns including protections for the Algodones Dunes and desert mining prevention. Read more about The Center on their website here.