WASHINGTON, Feb. 12 (UPI) -- President Barack Obama is expected to designate three new national monuments in the California desert, a 1.8 million-acre swath nearly doubling the amount of sensitive lands he has protected as president.
The designation on Friday comes after Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., asked Obama to use his powers under the Antiquities Act to designate the Mojave Trails, Sand to Snow and Castle Mountains national monuments. The new protected lands connect to 7.6 million acres between Palm Springs and the Nevada border, existing protected lands that contain Joshua Tree National Park and the Mojave National Preserve.