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HomeMy WebLinkAboutRes 2015-50 - California Desert Conservation - Recreation ActCITY OF PALM DESERT OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER STAFF REPORT REQUEST: CONSIDERATION TO APPROVE A RESOLUTION SUPPORTING THE CALIFORNIA DESERT CONSERVATION AND RECREATION ACT OF 2015 (S.414). SUBMITTED BY: Stephen Y. Aryan, Risk Manager DATE: June 11, 2015 CONTENTS: S. 414 Informational Documentation Draft Resolution Recommendation By Minute Motion, approve the attached resolution supporting the California Desert Conservation and Recreation Act of 2015 (S. 414). Commission Recommendation The Palm Desert Legislative Review Committee, at the time this report was prepared, has not reviewed this matter, as they are scheduled to meet on June 5, 2015. Background Senator Dianne Feinstein and Senator Barbara Boxer introduced the California Desert Conservation and Recreation Act of 2015 (S. 414). The legislation would ensure that certain unique, undeveloped, ecologically and geologically significant, culturally important, and scenic areas of public land within the California Desert Conservation Area are preserved as wilderness, wild and scenic rivers, national monuments, and National Park and Preserve. These areas include the proposed Sand to Snow and Mojave Trails National Monument; the proposed Golden Valley, Kingston Range, Indian Pass, Palo Verde wilderness additions; the Great Falls Basin, Avawatz Mountains, Soda Mountains, Buzzards Peak, Milpitas Wash wilderness area; additions to Joshua Tree National Park; the Castle Mountains addition to the Mojave National Preserve; wilderness additions to Death Valley National Park; the Amargosa, Deep Creek, Whitewater, and Surprise Canyon wild and scenic rivers; the Flat Top Mesa and Black Buttes Area of Critical Environmental Concern; and the Alabama Hills National Scenic Area.. The Joshua Tree National Park, Death Valley National Park, Mojave National Preserve and Bureau of Land Management administered wilderness and natural areas in the high desert are an important component of our region's historic, cultural, economic, and social identity. They generate substantial economic benefit for surrounding area businesses through local employment, tax revenues, and visitor spending on meals, lodging, and supplies. Resolution -California Desert Conservation and Recreation Act of 2015 June 11, 2015 Page 2 of 2 The proposed designation will contribute to our region's superior desert and mountain vistas, air quality, water quality, peaceful soundscapes, and dark night skies. Protected public lands also provide local residents and visitors with opportunities for many recreational activities. As protecting wild places and national park lands would ensure that future generations can enjoy them tomorrow as we do today, staff recommends approving a resolution supporting the California Desert Conservation and Recreation Act of 2015 (S. 414). Fiscal Analysis There is no direct fiscal impact related to the City's support of the California Desert Conservation and Recreation Act of 2015 (S. 414). Submitted By: Steph6n Y. Aryan, Risk M M. Wohlmuth, City Manager RESOLUTION NO. 2015- 50 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PALM DESERT SUPPORTING THE CALIFORNIA DESERT CONSERVATION AND RECREATION ACT OF 2015 (S. 414) WHEREAS, Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer have introduced the California Desert Conservation and Recreation Act of 2015 (S. 414) to ensure that certain unique, undeveloped, ecologically and geologically significant, culturally important, and scenic areas of public land within the California Desert Conservation Area are preserved as wilderness, wild and scenic rivers, national monuments, and National Park and Preserve additions; and WHEREAS, Joshua Tree National Park, Death Valley National Park, Mojave National Preserve and Bureau of Land Management administered wilderness and natural areas in the California desert are an important component of our community's and region's historic, cultural, economic, and social identity, and generate substantial economic benefit for surrounding area businesses through local employment, tax revenues, and visitor spending on meals, lodging, and supplies; and WHEREAS, national monuments, national park and wilderness designation have been shown to increase tourism and attract new residents, thereby generating substantial economic benefits for nearby communities through local employment and tax revenue; and WHEREAS, the proposed designation will contribute to our region's superior desert and mountain vistas, air quality, water quality, peaceful soundscapes, and dark night skies; and WHEREAS, protected public lands will provide local residents and visitors with opportunities for many recreational activities including hiking, horseback riding, rock climbing, photography, camping, off-roading, wildlife viewing, scientific research, and nature study; and WHEREAS, protecting wild places and national park lands would ensure that future generations can enjoy them tomorrow as we do today; and WHEREAS, preserving these areas would protect landscapes that encompass steep mountains, winding canyons, free flowing rivers, and rugged desert landscapes, including the proposed Sand to Snow and Mojave Trails national monuments; the proposed Golden Valley, Kingston Range, Indian Pass, Palo Verde wilderness additions; the Great Falls Basin, Avawatz Mountains, Soda Mountains, Buzzards Peak, Milpitas Wash wilderness areas; additions to Joshua Tree National Park; the Castle Mountains addition to the Mojave National Preserve; wilderness additions to Death Valley National Park; the Amargosa, Deep Creek, Whitewater, and Surprise Canyon wild and scenic rivers; the Flat Top Mesa and Black Buttes Area of Critical Environmental Concern; and the Alabama Hills National Scenic Area. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT THE CITY OF PALM DESERT ENDORSES THE CALIFORNIA DESERT CONSERVATION AND RECREATION ACT OF 2015, INCLUDING THE DESIGNATION OF NATIONAL MONUMENTS, WILDERNESS AREAS, WILD AND SCENIC RIVERS, NATIONAL PARK AND PRESERVE, AREAS OF CRITICAL ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERN, AND NATIONAL SCENIC AREA IDENTIFIED WITHIN THE LEGISLATION. AND FURTHERMORE the City of Palm Desert will transmit this signed resolution to the office of Senator Dianne Feinstein, Senator Barbara Boxer, and to Congressman Raul Ruiz, who represent us in Congress. PASSED, APPROVED, AND ADOPTED by the City Council of the City of Palm Desert, California, on this 11th day of June, 2015, by the following vote, to wit: AYES: NOES: ABSENT: ABSTAIN: SUSAN MARIE WEBER, MAYOR ATTEST: RACHELLE D. KLASSEN, CITY CLERK CITY OF PALM DESERT, CALIFORNIA 2015 California Desert Conservation and Recreation Act Overview March 16, 2015 This map prepared at the request of Senator Dianne Feinstein Bishop , ,s Proposals Federal Wilderness BLM Sw—I Management Area BLM 395 BLM Potantlal W id —as NPS Q BLM Pmpased Wilderness USFS 3 BLM Proposed National Scenic Area BLM Wlldemess Study Areas d,- BLM Proposed ACEC O Proposed Wi—I Monument Land Status Natlanal OR Highway Vehicle Recreation Area Bureau of Land Management "-= FS Proposed Wilderness US Forest Service -%' iNp6ama H Its O NIPS W iderness Addition a National Park Service P,[ppbQ tl N t ai O NIPS N Honor Preserve AddIVOn US Fish and Widi to Service 96 Land Tnsmrs NPS i : Military J ~ r "�,� Land Tmnskr State Slab, ^F National Park Addib- b . Indlan Trust Assets Proposed Wild and Scenlc Rhrer v31r''ir, J 93 e a t Ann" erg so a River - ("Una 1.3f<P WSR '.: ... *lillla, - 4Q Death Wky > Proposetl '� � N _ G tF II Basin Wldamess t g t�: T 9 g P p d 'i { W11d ear � -� .. "_ ..... 111 W gston Ra me Rldgecrest Sp 9 H P p dWfld ss " C:i V Re. ,r ea f,b 4/ Additions Golden Vatley / 1395 I Proposed Wilderness �Aatlbona F()li )nhSl)l A h M tinsMap- —/Castle Mounmin '- Yy✓ (j � I Proposed Wltlernas Pr sad Addition Grass Valley Soda Mountains Q - Propo Ad ,ness Pro d .tea ddho,tion Wtldemess 9 r Y 95 R p -'O OVR A Edwards& Barstow Needles �k Air Force st ddam Base OHV Rac Az ' r �'-- 0t I Pic Area t-� Mojave Trails osed�N�2at�it. M E M ge ent e:, �._..._._._...I _ "_ 66 CHV R Area �-' - �' Twentynine PaI s Holcomb 0 Marne Cords Base Creak ® WSR v Q r.. ® NI Creek _os WSft 1,4h o J 1—T NP L '" posed AddNons r 101 md`i �"- �'k �r VV SR P 4 gel �® '� g,a —. ®° Riverside 1 is,.5 :I i Moreno Propoard N rbh Mor�ment - `; \. Valley Palm 6 Springs Q `�... Palo Vartle Potannal W idemess Addifi ns wpims Wash J J1s� 'y Potentials Vnagm Mah $nlr<rn ''ty.P Wltlemess Pro posed Special krri Mgmt Area Buzzards Peak Arita 8crre0o 6esert Potential S rate Park Wilderness Indian Pas Pot - Ad Wiltleme Atld Vans & 0 �# r I Sari El Centro ' T bl � Diego P p..d in 9, >,�.. Transmr �� '�'�-- 6AAipmam Sorg rrta C- LiForw1A- C7,c � r' Protecting Our Legacy, Strengthening Our Future Photo by Jack Thompson Rising from the Sonoran Desert floor up to southern Did You Know? California's tallest alpine peak, Mount San Gorgonio (11,499 feet), the proposed Sand to Snow National Monument encompasses one of the most unique and • Size of proposed Sand to diverse ecosystems in California. Habitats range from Snow National Monument - conifer forests to riparian woodlands to desert scrub and about 133,524 acres cactus with perennial streams. • Location - North of I-10 near Banning and east and The proposed Sand to Snow National Monument is west of Highway 62 near located at the convergence of the Mojave and Sonoran Desert Hot springs. deserts, inland valleys and mountain environments capturing and protecting an evolutionary hotspot and • The proposed national area of tremendous biological diversity. The new monument contains two of monument also protects two wildlife corridors that help the most critical wildlife plant and wildlife populations adapt to climate change. movement corridors in southern California that Recreational opportunities in the new National Monument together link Joshua Tree include hiking, horseback riding, backpacking, fishing and National Park and Mount bird watching. At higher elevations, outdoor enthusiasts San Gorgonio. can enjoy snowshoeing, cross country skiing and hiking along a portion of the Pacific Crest trail. 6..4Mf'mGN FOR TN-E' G�1-UfOrw/o4 �ii:5E7zT Protecting Our Legacy, Strengthening Our Future Specifically, the Act (S.414) will: Establish the 941,413-acre Mojave Trails National Monument in eastern San Bernardino County along the longest undeveloped stretch of historic Route 66; Designate the 133,524-acre Sand to Snow National Monument that stretches between Joshua Tree National Park on the east and the high country of the San Gorgonio Wilderness in the San Bernardino National Forest to the west; Add five areas encompassing 204,6500 acres to the National Wilderness Preservation System, including theAvawatz Mountains Wilderness, Great Falls Basin Wilderness and Soda Mountains Wilderness; Enlarge existing BLM wilderness by 95,110 acres including Golden ValleyWilderness, Kingston Range Wilderness,and Grass Valley Wilderness; and add 7,141 acres to t he San Gorgonio Wilderness (USFS); Establish the 81,800-acre Vinagre Wash Special Management Area in Imperial County where many ecologically and culturally sensitive areas would be protected from development and vehicle use; Enlarge Death Valley National Park by 97,965 acres, Mojave National Preserve by 21,000 acres and Joshua Tree National Park by 4,518 acres; Continued Add over 70 miles (22,400 acres) of stream to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System along the Amargosa River, Deep Creek, Surprise Canyon and the W hitewater River; Designate the Alabama Hills National Scenic Area (18,840 acres) Designate the Black Lava Butte and Flat Top Mesa as an Area of Critical Environmental Concern (6,350 acres) Establish the Joshua Tree Visitor Center Provide for revenue sharing with state and counties from renewable energy rents and royalties Permanently prohibit the staking of new mining claims on approximately 10,000 acres of land sacred to the Quechan Tribe in Imperial County while preserving established claims; Mandate the study and protection of cultural trails and associated features along the Colorado River that is sacred to several tribes; Transfer a 994-acre Bureau of Land Management holding in San Diego County to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park and require the state to manage the land as wilderness; and Require the Department of the Interior to study the future impacts of climate change on the California desert, to mitigate these impacts and to identify and protect important wildlife migration corridors in the region. Withdraw protection from 33,571 acres of the Soda Mountains Wilderness Study Area; Withdraw protection from the 84,400-acre Cady Mountains Wilderness Study Area (5,500 acres of the area will be included in the Mojave Trails National Monument); Facilitate the transfer of isolated parcels of state-owned land that are surrounded by desert wilderness areas and parks in exchange for federal assets, potentially including parcels of federal land; Turn five existing administratively - designated off -highway vehicle (OHV) recreation areas into legislatively -designated OHV areas; Require the Secretary of the Interior to study the possibility of expanding these OHV areas; and Allow for the expansion of a small airport in Imperial County. For more information, contact: Monica Argandona, California Wilderness Coalition, margandona@calwild.org, 951-205-6004 Matt Jatovsky, The Wilderness Society, mattJatovsky@tws.org, 760-366-1847 David Lamfrom, National Parks Conservation Association, dlamfrom@npca.org, 760-219-4916 California Wilderness Coalition I The Pew Charitable Trusts Friends ofthe DesertMountainsI Friendsof the River) National Parks Conservation Association The Wilderness Society I The Widlands Conservancy i; ..: Protecting i g Legacy, * . i Our Future Supporters Local Governments and Elected Officials Imperial County Supervisors Cathedral City City of Desert Hot Springs City of Coachella San Manuel Band of Mission Indians Timbisha Shoshone Coachella Valley Association of Governments Coachella Valley Conservation Commission Morongo Valley Community Services District Terence McAteer, Inyo County Superintendent of Schools (Alabama Hills Section) Lone Pine Paiute -Shoshone Reservation (Alabama Hills Section) City of Bishop (Alabama Hills Section) City of Apple Valley Chamber of Commerce & Civic Groups Joshua Tree Chamber of Commerce Morongo Valley Chamber of Commerce Lone Pine Chamber of Commerce (Alabama Hills Section) Businesses Southern California Edison The Desert Sun Joshua Tree Gateway Association of Realtors Community Leaders & Business Owners Fran Ulmer, Chair of US Arctic Research Commission 22 Retired Flag Officers Off -Road Business Association Motorcycle Industry Council Paul Smith, owner of Twentynine Palms Inn Susan Sorrells, owner of Shoshone Village Brian Brown, owner of China Ranch Date Farm Sam Roberts Photography John Dittli Photography Organizations & User Groups American Sand Association American Motorcyclists Association, District 37 Ecologic Blue Ribbon Coalition National Off -Highway Conservation Council Recreational Off -Highway Vehicle Association Tread Lightly! Cal 4 Wheel Drive California Off -Road Vehicle Association Friends of Dumont Dunes Friends of El Mirage Friends of Jawbone Specialty Vehicle Institute of America Americans for Responsible Recreational Access Vet Voice Foundation Friends of the River Amargosa Conservancy California Wilderness Coalition The Wilderness Society The Wildlands Conservancy National Parks Conservation Association Trust for Public Land Conservation Lands Foundation The Nature Conservancy The Pew Charitable Trusts Friends of the River Mojave Desert Land Trust Mojave Preserve Conservancy Save Our Desert Friends of Big Morongo Canyon Preserve San Diego Zoo Global Conservation Alliance Friends of the Desert Mountains SummerTree Institute Friends of Joshua Tree Coachella Valley Mountains Conservancy Residents of Walters Camp Alabama Hills Stewardship Group (Alabama Hills Section) Advocates for Access to Public lands (Alabama Hills Section) Eastern Sierra 4x4 Club (Alabama Hills Section) Friends of the Inyo (Alabama Hills Section) California Desert Conservation and Recreation Act Bill Summary Section • Short Title; Table of Contents TITLE I: California Desert Conservation and Recreation: Amendments to the California Desert Protection Act of 1994 Title XIII: Move Trails National Monument, • Establishes a national monument managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) protecting 965,000 acres of federal land between Joshua Tree National Park and the Mojave Preserve along historic Route 66 in San Bernardino County. • Protects approximately 196,000 acres of land that were donated to or purchased by the federal government over the last decade for conservation. • Maintains existing recreation uses, including hunting, vehicular travel on existing open roads and trails, grazing, camping, horseback riding, rock collecting, etc. • Permits the construction of transmission lines to facilitate the transfer of renewable energy generated in the California desert and adjacent states. • Provides solar energy companies with potential projects currently proposed inside the monument boundaries to relocate to federal solar energy zones being developed by the Department of the Interior. • Establishes an advisory committee to develop the management plan for the monument. The committee will be comprised of representatives from local state and federal government, conservation and recreation groups, and local Native American tribes. Title XIV: Sand to Snow National Monument • Establishes a national monument covering approximately 135,000 acres of federal land between Joshua Tree National Park and the San Bernardino National Forest in San Bernardino and Riverside counties. • Maintains existing recreation uses, including hunting, vehicular travel on existing open roads and trails, camping, horseback riding, rock collecting, etc. • The monument would be jointly managed by the BLM and the Forest Service with management guidance from an advisory committee comprised of local, state and federal government, conservation and recreation groups, and local Native American tribes. Title XV: Wilderness • Designates six new Bureau of Land Management (BLM) wilderness areas covering 250,000 acres near Fort Irwin as well as portions of Death Valley National Park (41,000 acres) and the San Bernardino National Forest (7,100 acres). • Releases approximately 126,000 acres in the Cady and Soda Mountains that were designated wilderness study areas in the 1994 California Desert Protection Act, thereby allowing vehicular access to these areas. Title XVI: Vinagre Wash Special Management Area • Designates a "special management area" covering a total of 81,000 acres in eastern Imperial County in order to conserve, protect and enhance plant and wildlife management as well as nationally significant ecological, recreational, archeological, and cultural resources. The area also contains approximately 49,000 acres of potential wilderness and approximately 12,000 acres of former private land donated to the federal government for conservation. • Permitted uses would be hiking, camping, mountain biking, sightseeing, hunting, off -highway vehicle use on designated routes and horseback riding. Prohibited uses would include new mining, permanent roads, commercial uses, or activities that would preclude the potential wilderness areas from becoming wilderness in the future. Title XVII: National Park System Additions • Adds approximately 74,000 acres of land to the National Park System, including: • Death Valley: Approximately 39,000 acres, including a narrow strip of land between the southern boundary of the park (33,000 acres known as the "Bowling Alley") and Ft. Irwin that was designated a wilderness study area by the Desert Protection Act and a former mining area (6,400 acres known as the "Crater Area") in the north that is entirely surrounded by park wilderness. • Mojave Preserve: Almost 21,000 acres on the northeastern corner of the park known as Castle Mountain, which was left out of the Desert Protection Act due to an active mine which has ceased operations. • Joshua Tree: Approximately 4,500 acres in multiple small parcels of BLM land on the northern boundary of the park that have been identified for disposal. Another 1,600 acres from the Mojave Desert Land Trust would expand the park boundary in three locations. 2 Title XVIII: Off -Highway Vehicle Recreation Areas • Designates five existing, administratively designated off -highway vehicle areas in San Bernardino County, covering approximately 142,000 acres, as permanent off - highway vehicle recreation areas. Land management would remain as it exists today, but the BLM would be given discretion whether to require a new site specific management plan or simply modify its existing desert -wide management plan. • Requires the Secretary to conduct a study to determine what, if any, lands adjacent to these recreation areas would be suitable for inclusion and authorizes the Department to do so. Title XIX: Alabama Hills National Scenic Area • Designates 18,610 acres of BLM land in Inyo County as a National Scenic Area in order to preserve it for recreational use by the public and future generations. • Guarantees that all recreational activities currently taking place in the Alabama Mills will continue, including hiking, mountain biking, rock climbing, hunting, fishing, recreational prospecting (rock -hounding) and authorized motorized vehicle use. • Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to add approximately 132 acres of BLM land to the Lone Pine Paiute -Shoshone reservation to protect culturally sensitive lands. Sec. 2001: State land transfers and exchanges. • Transfers 934 acres currently designated as a BLM wilderness study area to Anza Borrego State Park to be managed as state wilderness, which surrounds it on three sides. • Requires the Department of the Interior to work with local government to potentially transfer BLM lands for municipal infrastructure needs. Sec. 2002: Ensures continued military training activities. • Ensures the right of the Department of Defense to conduct low-level overflights over wilderness, national parks and national monuments. Sec. 2003: Climate change and wildlife corridors. • Requires the Department of the Interior to study the impact of climate change on California desert species migration, incorporate their results and recommendations into land use management plans, and consider the study's findings when snaking decisions granting rights of way for projects on public lands. Sec. 2004: Prohibited uses of donated and acquired land. • Prohibits the use of donated or acquired lands for development, mining, off- 3 highway vehicle use (except designated routes), grazing, military training and other surface disturbing activities. This prohibition would apply only to public lands within the California Desert Conservation Area. • The Secretary of the Interior is authorized to make limited exceptions in cases where it is deemed in the public interest. Comparable lands would have to be purchased and donated to the federal government as mitigation for lost acreage. • Authorizes the Secretary to accept easements and deed restrictions on donated lands within the California Desert Conservation Area in the future. Sec. 2005: Tribal uses and interests. • Requires the Secretary to ensure access for tribal cultural activities within national parks, monuments, wilderness and other designated within the bill. • Requires the Secretary to develop a cultural resources management plan to protect a sacred tribal trail along the Colorado River between southern Nevada and the California -Baja border. Sec. 2006: Black Lave Butte and Flat Top Mesa ACEC. • Designates approximately 6,500 acres of land near Joshua Tree National Park and Wildlands Conservancy -owned land as an Area of Critical Environmental Concern in order to preserve and protect roughly 1,700 petroglyphs and other cultural and biological resources. Sec. 102: Visitor Center. • Authorizes the National Park Service to acquire a visitor center operated by the Joshua Tree National Park Association in the City of Joshua Tree. Currently, this volunteer -run center serves nearly 150,000 Joshua Tree National Park visitors each year. Sec. 103: California State School Land. • Requires the Department of Interior to work with the state to complete the exchange of approximately 370,000 acres of state school lands located in California desert over the next ten years. Small isolated parcels of state land in wilderness, national parks and monuments would be exchanged for federal lands elsewhere that could potentially provide the state with viable sites for renewable energy development, off -highway vehicle recreation or other commercial purposes. Sec. 104: Wild and Scenic Rivers. • Designates 77 miles of wild and scenic rivers, including Deep Creek and the Whitewater River in and near the San Bernardino National Forest and the Amargosa River and Surprise Canyon Creek near Death Valley National Park. 4 Sec. 520: Native groundwater supplies. • Protects the Mojave Preserve's native groundwater supplies by prohibiting the Department of the Interior from processing rights -of -way applications for nearby projects that are likely to use more groundwater than is naturally restored to the local aquifer each year. TITLE II: Development of Renewable Energy on Public Land • Requires the revenues generated from the leasing of federal lands within the California Desert Conservation Area to be distributed in the following manner: ■ 35% to addressing and offsetting the impacts of wind and solar development on federal lands; ■ 15% to facilitating the processing of renewable energy permits for a 10 year period, after which, these funds would be dedicated to offsetting the impacts of renewable energy project impacts; ■ 25% to the State of California; and, ■ 25% to the county or counties in which the project is located.