header image

[Sign Up Now] to Receive Our FREE Daily SCVTV-SCVNews Digest by E-Mail

Inside
Weather


 
Calendar
Today in
S.C.V. History
April 18
1945 - Actors Harry & Olive Carey sell Saugus ranch after 29 years; now Tesoro del Valle [story]
Carey Ranch


Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.

U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., released a discussion draft Thursday of the California Desert Conservation and Recreation Act, a bill Feinstein will introduce in January when the new Congress convenes.

The bill builds on Feinstein’s historic California Desert Protection Act, which became law in 1994. The new legislation is designed to protect additional land and help manage California’s desert resources by carefully balancing conservation, recreation and renewable energy development.

The draft legislation is a consensus document that reflects the many uses of the desert and is the product of years of engagement with relevant stakeholders including environmental groups, local and state government officials, off-highway recreation enthusiasts, cattle ranchers, mining interests, the Department of Defense, wind and solar energy companies, California’s public utility companies and many others.

The draft bill’s key provisions:

* Creates two new national monuments:

– The Mojave Trails National Monument, which would encompass 942,000 acres of land, including former Catellus-owned lands.

– The Sand to Snow National Monument, which would encompass 135,000 acres of land from desert floor in the Coachella Valley to the top of Mount San Gorgonio.

* Designates five new Bureau of Land Management (BLM) wilderness areas covering 235,000 acres.

* Designates 77 miles of waterways as Wild and Scenic Rivers.

* Adds acreage to Death Valley National Park (39,000 acres), Joshua Tree National Park (4,500 acres) and the Mojave National Preserve (30,000 acres).

* Designates four existing BLM Off-Highway Vehicle areas (covering approximately 135,000 acres of California desert) as permanent Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) recreation areas, providing off-highway enthusiasts certainty that these uses will be protected as much as conservation areas.

* Provides a balanced approach to renewable energy development by:

– Requiring the Department of the Interior to exchange 370,000 acres of federal land for state land, allowing the state to use these new areas for commercial purposes including clean energy. The bill also releases 126,000 acres of wilderness land that could be used for renewable energy.

– Allowing for new transmission lines in the Mojave Trails National Monument on existing transmission corridors.

– Sharing with state and local governments the revenue generated from leasing of federal land within the desert.
Additional information:

* Full text of the draft legislation is available here.

* A summary of the bill is available here.

* Maps referencing provisions within the bill are available here.

* For more information on Senator Feinstein’s work on the California desert is available here.

Comment On This Story
COMMENT POLICY: We welcome comments from individuals and businesses. All comments are moderated. Comments are subject to rejection if they are vulgar, combative, or in poor taste.
REAL NAMES ONLY: All posters must use their real individual or business name. This applies equally to Twitter account holders who use a nickname.

12 Comments

  1. Neil Arno says:

    Shouldn’t she be put out to pasture already?

  2. Terry Morse says:

    Thank God we have a courageous Senator who is willing to protect our fragile desert lands.

  3. Shane Weeks says:

    And the OHV community will lose again. So we should thank her for making 4 ohv areas “permanent” while we lose access to so many other places.

  4. Shane Weeks says:

    And the OHV community will lose again. So we should thank her for making 4 ohv areas “permanent” while we lose access to so many other places.

  5. Andrea Evers says:

    Can’t even stand to have her face on my feed- hiding this now.

  6. Andrea Evers says:

    Can’t even stand to have her face on my feed- hiding this now.

  7. Andrea Evers says:

    Can’t even stand to have her face on my feed- hiding this now.

Leave a Comment


SCV NewsBreak
LOCAL NEWS HEADLINES
Thursday, Apr 17, 2025
Nicholas Patey Selected as 2025/26 Hart District Teacher of the Year
The William S. Hart Union High School District has announced Nicholas Patey, Golden Valley High School math teacher, has been selected as the 2025/26 Hart District Teacher of the Year.
Thursday, Apr 17, 2025
JAG Team Leads Successful Operation, Arrests Eight Newhall 13 Gang Members
In the early morning hours of Thursday, April 17, the Juveniles and Gangs (JAG) team at the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station led a coordinated, multi-location operation aimed at disrupting criminal street gang activity and safeguarding the Santa Clarita Valley.
Thursday, Apr 17, 2025
April 26-May 4: Friends of Santa Clarita Public Library Spring Bag Sale Begins
The Friends of Santa Clarita Public Library are having a Spring Bag Sale Saturday, April 26 - Sunday, May 4.
Keep Up With Our Facebook

Latest Additions to SCVNews.com
1945 - Actors Harry & Olive Carey sell Saugus ranch after 29 years; now Tesoro del Valle [story]
Carey Ranch
Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital will recognize and celebrate its dedicated volunteers during National Volunteer Week, April 20-26.
Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital Celebrates National Volunteer Week
The William S. Hart Union High School District has announced Nicholas Patey, Golden Valley High School math teacher, has been selected as the 2025/26 Hart District Teacher of the Year.
Nicholas Patey Selected as 2025/26 Hart District Teacher of the Year
In the early morning hours of Thursday, April 17, the Juveniles and Gangs (JAG) team at the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station led a coordinated, multi-location operation aimed at disrupting criminal street gang activity and safeguarding the Santa Clarita Valley.
JAG Team Leads Successful Operation, Arrests Eight Newhall 13 Gang Members
The Friends of Santa Clarita Public Library are having a Spring Bag Sale Saturday, April 26 - Sunday, May 4.
April 26-May 4: Friends of Santa Clarita Public Library Spring Bag Sale Begins
For the fifth consecutive year, the California Institute of the Arts animation programs (Character Animation and Experimental Animation) have collectively earned the top spot in all eligible categories in Animation Career Review’s 2025 Animation School Rankings.
CalArts Retains No. 1 Spot in Animation Career Review’s 2025 Rankings
The Santa Clarita Artists Association will host "Things with Wings," art show reception Saturday, April 26 at the SCAA 6th Street Gallery, 22508 6th St., Newhall, CA 91321.
April 26: SCAA ‘Things With Wings’ Art Reception
This week, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a motion introduced by Supervisor Kathryn Barger and co-authored by Supervisor Hilda L. Solis to invest in supporting art-centered fire recovery initiatives in Altadena.
Supervisors Back Art-Centered Fire Recovery in Altadena
The Santa Clarita Artists Association will be hosting a Plein Air Outdoor Artmaking and public meet up Friday, April 25, 9 a.m.- noon at Castaic Lake.
April 25: Castaic Lake SCAA Plein Air Artmaking
The California Department of Transportation will hold a public, informational meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 24 for the Interstate 405 (I-405) Pavement Rehabilitation Project.
April 24: Caltrans Hosts Meeting on I-405 Pavement Rehabilitation Project
Mark your calendars and start making plans to join California State Parks and partners in celebrating the fourth annual California State Parks Week from June 11-15.
June 11-15: Fourth Annual California State Parks Week
Valencia Library will host "Altogether, Now!", a garden gnome painting event, 10-11 a.m. Monday, April 21.
April 21: Valencia Library to Host ‘Altogether, Now!’ Event
1930 - Telephone switchboard operator Louise Gipe, heroine of the 1928 St. Francis Dam disaster, tries & fails to kill herself over an unrequited love [story]
Louise Gipe
In partnership with the LA County Department of Arts and Culture, LA County Library invites all County residents to explore public art in their communities through its Civic Art Passport.
Explore Art Across L.A. County with Civic Art Passport
Unleash the dragon at Castaic Lake, home to the upcoming 6th Annual Dragon Boating festival on May 31, 2025.
May 31: Castaic Lake Hosts 6th Annual Dragon Boat Festival
Effective April 16, 2025, DACC is discontinuing the requirement to set an appointment  to surrender a pet at DACC’s seven animal care centers.
DACC Discontinues Appointment Requirement for Pet Surrenders
The California State Board of Equalization released its Fiscal Year 2023-24 Annual Report earlier this week. 
Board of Equalization Fiscal Report Assessed Property Value Statewide Total $8.7 Trillion
The city of Santa Clarita is launching a pilot program to offer residents free mulch and compost created from processed yard waste and food waste that has been recycled.
Free Mulch, Compost Available for Santa Clarita Residents
Southern California has seen a lot of natural phenomena recently — from enormous wildfires and high-speed winds to massive rainfall and landslides — and most recently, a series of small to moderate earthquakes.
CSUN Professor Assures Recent Earthquakes Aren’t Related to Other Natural Phenomenon
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has launched an interactive online dashboard that provides the public with access to environmental and health monitoring data collected in response to the January 2025 wildfires.
Interactive Dashboard Tracks Environmental, Health Monitoring Following January Wildfires
The Painted Turtle is serving up a fun afternoon to support their operations with a pickleball tournament. 
May 4: Support the Painted Turtle with Pickleball Tournament at the Griffin Club
The city of Santa Clarita has closed MP Fields #1 and #2 at Central Park, 27150 Bouquet Canyon Road, Santa Clarita, CA 91350, for maintenance work being done on the grass.
City Closes Two Fields at Central Park Until Summer
1962 - Walt Disney donates bison herd to Hart Park [story]
Bison
Have you ever looked at the sky and wondered if humans are alone? Have you ever watched a sci-fi show or film and wondered if there really are habitable exoplanets out there like the much beloved Vulcan, Tatooine, or Arrakis?
April 25: Spring Star Party at COC Canyon Country Campus
SCVNews.com