The House passed a bill Monday sponsored by Rep. Mary Bono Mack that would designate nearly 200,000 acres of public land in and around the Coachella Valley as wilderness areas and provide them with more federal protections.
"I am thrilled that we are one step closer to preserving some of the most scenic and environmentally sensitive areas in our district," said Bono Mack, R-Palm Springs.
"Throughout history, these wild lands have drawn people to our region, and I am pleased that this legislation will help ensure that families and individuals can continue to enjoy the natural beauty of our desert, river and forest areas for years to come."
The measure, which passed on a voice vote, designates as wilderness areas 191,000 acres of public land, including the San Bernardino National Forest, Joshua Tree National Park and Pinto Mountains.
It also designates several rivers as "wild, scenic or recreational." They include Bautista Creek, Fuller Mill Creek, Canyon Creek and the North Fork San Jacinto River.
Bono Mack originally introduced the California Desert and Mountain Act in 2006. A similar measure introduced by California Democratic Sens. Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein is pending in the Senate, where a subcommittee held a hearing on the bill in April.
Boxer, who lives in Rancho Mirage, has called the areas "truly magnificent places" and said they provide a "critically important habitat for a multitude of wildlife and plants, many of which are found nowhere else on Earth."
California lawmakers have argued the protections are needed in the rapidly growing area. Boxer's office said the House passage encourages her.
Bono Mack's bill has garnered broad support, including from the city of Palm Springs, the Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce and the Campaign for America's Wilderness.
"It's a win-win for the community," said Brian Geiger, spokesman for the Campaign for America's Wilderness, a conservation group. Geiger said the measure ensures those public lands are "going to stay wild, and they're going to stay natural. It protects them from misuse."
Geiger said the measure sets more rules for use of the land, including disallowing motor vehicles such as all-terrain vehicles in the wilderness areas. There are exceptions for emergency personnel.
The House also passed legislation Monday to protect 115,000 acres of wilderness in the Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Park. Since late last year, the House has passed several wilderness bills.
"It seems like all of a sudden, we just caught a wave," Geiger said. "Better late than never."
