[Updated] Legislation to Expand San Gabriel Mountains National Monument

WASHINGTON, D.C. – ColoradoBoulevard.net:

On Thursday, May 25, Rep. Judy Chu (CA-28) introduced the San Gabriel Mountains Protection Act.

By News Desk

This bill would expand the borders of the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument to include the western Angeles National Forest and designate over 30,000 acres of protected wilderness and 45.5 miles of protected rivers in Southern California. 

In the Senate, Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) introduced Protecting Unique and Beautiful Landscapes by Investing in California (PUBLIC) Lands Act, a package that includes identical companion legislation to Rep. Chu’s.

Los Angeles County is one of the most park-poor and pollution burdened regions in the United States. However, more than 15 million people live within a 90-minute drive of the San Gabriel Mountains, which provide Los Angeles residents 70 percent of their available open space and 30 percent of their drinking water. The San Gabriel Mountains also contain rich cultural, historical, and geological resources, and provide critical habitat for threatened and endangered species including the California condor, Nelson’s bighorn sheep, and the Santa Ana sucker (an endangered fish).

“The Los Angeles area is among the most park-poor regions of the country despite being blessed by gorgeous rivers, forests, and mountains of the San Gabriels right in our backyard. The San Gabriel Mountains provide a unique opportunity—particularly for minority and low-income families—to access the physical, mental, and educational benefits of nearby public lands,” said Rep. Chu. “President Obama’s National Monument designation increased access to and opportunities for learning and exploring in the mountains. This legislation would further protect the San Gabriel Mountains by preserving thousands of acres of land and water so more people now and in future generations can experience our area’s unique gifts of nature.”

In 2014, President Obama acted on Rep. Chu’s call for permanent protection of the San Gabriel Mountains and declared 346,000 acres as a national monument. The San Gabriel Mountains Protection Act is the next step in protecting and connecting critical public lands for over 15 million Americans. This legislation expands the monument by 109,167 acres, designates approximately 31,000 acres as new or expanded wilderness areas, and adds 45.5 miles to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.

“Our public lands and natural spaces are one of our state’s greatest gifts—from the San Gabriel Mountains, to the Carrizo Plain, to the Northern California Redwoods. It is incumbent upon us to be thoughtful stewards of these special places so that our communities can enjoy them and benefit from America’s natural resources for generations to come,” said Senator Padilla. “As we protect the environment, we must do so in a way that reverses racial and economic disparities in access to the outdoors, because our public lands belong to all Americans. Some of the protected land in this bill serves densely populated areas of the state that don’t have access to nature, which will help rebalance this historic disparity.”

> Click here to view a map of the land that will be impacted.

 

[This article has been updated to include a map link. May 26, 9:04 pm]