Fish & G. Code, § 1451

The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:

(a) The Mojave and Colorado Deserts region in California, hereafter referred to as “the California deserts region,” are globally significant areas, including national parks and preserves, national monuments, wilderness areas, state parks, and the lowest point in the 48 contiguous states, with large, pristine areas that are open for public use.

(b) The California deserts region is also the ancestral homeland of numerous tribal communities. The region includes cultural, biological, and historical resources on sacred land that should be protected and preserved.

(c) The California deserts region is an important part of the state’s economy, with total direct travel spending in the California deserts region estimated in 2018 at seven billion six hundred million dollars ($7,600,000,000) and by supporting 73,000 jobs. Total government revenue generated by travel in the California deserts region for 2018 was six hundred nine million dollars ($609,000,000).

(d) The California deserts region’s popularity among California and international recreationists has more than doubled within the past five years. Visitation to Joshua Tree National Park increased by 112 percent between 2013 and 2018. During the same time period, visits to Death Valley National Park increased by 76 percent and visits to Mojave National Preserve increased by 43 percent.

(e) The California deserts region provides world-class opportunities for hiking, camping, sightseeing, rock climbing, rock hounding, off-highway vehicle use, and many other recreational activities.

(f) Undisturbed desert lands are known to sequester and store carbon and contribute to climate change resilience.

(g) Nonnative, invasive grasses, such as Mediterranean grass and cheatgrass, create continuous fuel beds across desert lands that can spark and support massive wildfires in areas where fire was previously rare.

(h) The California deserts region is characterized as having high biological diversity. In the Mojave Desert, there is an approximate total of 1,500 plant taxa with 210 being endemic to California.

(i) The California deserts region is home to iconic species such as the western Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia), the federally threatened desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii), and species of special concern such as the desert bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis nelsoni), which requires wildlife corridors to maintain healthy populations.

(j) Water sources within the California deserts region are comprised of both groundwater and surface water that provide critical sustenance for unique and diverse ecosystems. Groundwater elevations should be stable and not overdrafted to maintain the surface flow of springs that support the fragile ecosystems in the region. Proposed groundwater extraction projects have threatened water supplies in the California deserts region.