Senate OKs Bill to Create National Monument Near Palm Springs

WASHINGTON —  A 440-square-mile sweep of jagged mountains and desert in Southern California would become the country’s latest national monument under a bill passed Thursday in an effort to protect the land from encroaching development.

The unanimous Senate vote sent the bill to President Clinton, who supports the protections in the proposed Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument. The area forms the postcard backdrop for Palm Springs, rising from the desert floor to the 10,804-foot peak of Mt. San Jacinto.

Rep. Mary Bono (R-Palm Springs) negotiated for more than a year with local officials, the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians and Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt to protect the land as a monument, which is one step shy of national park status.

The mountains are home to endangered peninsular bighorn sheep and the threatened desert slender salamander. Because the mountain range features drastic changes in elevation, the proposed monument has five distinct climate zones, from desert to pine forest and arctic pine at the summit. Hiking and horseback trails cross the hills, offering spectacular views.