I recently got a little taste of Sand to Snow National Monument, one of our newer national monuments threatened by the stinky Zinke review. I started out with a visit to Big Morongo Canyon, designated by the BLM as an Area of Critical Environmental Concern and the American Bird Conservancy as an Important Bird Area. So, of course, I planned on taking a bird watching tour. I’m not much of an early morning riser. As usual, I was a day late and a dollar short – missed the guided walk by about 30 minutes. I had to explore the Preserve on my own.
A brilliant chorus of bird song greeted me the moment I stepped from the car. It didn’t take me long to realize that diversity is key in Sand to Snow – within a quarter of a mile I could see palm trees on one side of the boardwalk, and pine trees on the other! Even though I’m not much good at identifying passerines, I was delighted to be able to add the Least Bell’s Vireo, an endangered species, to my life list. The elegance of this bird’s tiny slender lines more than make up for its non-descript color. In less than a mile, I passed through marshy wetlands and deciduous forest to a mesquite bosque that led to a yucca and cholla filled open ridgeline. Diversity, indeed!
This 154,00 acre national monument consists mostly of the already federally designated San Gorgonio Wilderness and lands donated by the Wildlands Conservancy, an organization which has quietly been buying up key pieces of SoCal real estate to preserve for future generations. They manage the largest nonprofit nature preserve system in California. Their mission – “To preserve the beauty and biodiversity of the earth and to provide programs so that children may know the wonder and joy of nature.” Good people. Give them money if you live in SoCal and have it. This organization has donated lands at Whitewater, Mission Creek, and the Pioneertown Mountains. If you are hiking into the San Gorgonio Wilderness, you will probably hike through their lands to get there.
What they have preserved is vital. Sand to Snow protects some of the most biodiverse lands in southern California, lands extremely threatened by development. It is an essential wildlife corridor, connecting many of southern California’s ecological islands, from the San Jacinto and San Bernardino Mountains to Joshua Tree National Park. Over 240 species of birds can be found in the Big Morongo Preserve alone. There are 12 federally endangered animals protected within the monument. You can find species ranging from kangaroo rats to black bears. In fact, the monument protects the highest density of black bears in southern California.
The plant diversity is even more important than the animals. This is the most botanically rich monument in the country! It is home to 1600 different species of plants. Habitats range from lowland desert to alpine. You can find three different deserts here – the Colorado, Sonoran and Mojave. You can visit the southernmost stand of aspen trees in the U.S. You can even hike above timberline on 11,500-foot San Gorgonio, the tallest mountain in California south of the Sierras.
My next visit was to the Whitewater Preserve, located about 5 miles west of Palm Springs. The Preserve protects a riparian habitat, a rare habitat to find in the SoCal deserts.
If you know me, you know I have an incredible phobia of big cities and traffic. Staying in Desert Hot Springs for a week, I was already pushing my comfort zone. I could not believe I was braving I-10 and driving even closer to L.A. than I already was, but it was worth it.
I come from a land of REALLY big mountains, with a 16,000-foot peak pretty much in my back yard at home, but even so, I was struck by the size of Mt. San Jacinto across the highway. It’s a bit over 10,000 feet, but that’s 10,000 feet straight up, with no intervening foothills. Impressive! Although it’s not in the monument, Mt. San Jacinto is indicative of Sand to Snow’s terrain, some of the steepest and most rugged land in southern California. I found Whitewater to be more geologically impressive than Big Morongo, too. The rugged cliffs here are home to Peninsular Bighorn Sheep, an endangered species.
Don’t expect solitude when visiting Sand to Snow. 24 million people live within a 2-hour drive, and the San Gorgonio Wilderness is the most visited wilderness in southern California. That said, it’s not especially crowded, much less so than most national parks. Another great thing about Sand to Snow is you can camp here. For free. That’s right, for FREE! You DO have to call and make reservations, though. Visit the Whitewater or Mission Creek/Pioneertown Mountains websites of the Wildlands Conservancy for more details.
In addition to its rich natural history, Sand to Snow also protects a rich human history. San Gorgonio is sacred to the Serrano and Cahuilla people. There is an abundance of archaeological sites in the monument, and about 1700 petroglyphs. Explore this national monument. You never know what you’ll find around the next bend in the trail!
Sand to Snow, managed jointly by the USFS, BLM, and Wildlands Conservancy, is currently beginning work on a management plan. If you would like to be included in the process, please contact the San Bernardino National Forest at (909) 382-2600.
I only got a tiny taste of the monument, visiting Big Morongo Canyon and Whitewater. I look forward to future visits (Mission Creek is next on my list), and a chance to spend a little more time in this very special national treasure.