Kyle Magnuson

California - United States of America - 09-Feb-25 -

Suggestion for an updated nomination: future tentative list

Joshua Tree National Park may qualify for world heritage status on its own, but the possibility of something far greater has been proposed to World Heritage USA and not only by me. I break down the protected lands in the links near the bottom, which by the way have expanded significantly since the creation of the biosphere reserve in 1984. Moreover, newly designated areas of the Mojave have greatly improved the connectivity of these diverse habitats and protected lands.

What would be better than a single nomination consisting of Joshua Tree or Death Valley? I believe a massive contiguous protected area that includes more than a dozen components such as national parks, national monuments, national preserves, and national natural landmarks would be ideal to encompass the incredible natural values of the Mojave and Colorado Deserts. Mojave, while far larger than its counterpart to the South, the Colorado Desert (a sub-region of the Sonoran Desert), both provide some of the most outstanding desert biodiversity in North America. Joshua Tree is in some ways the centerpiece because it lies in the transition zone between the Mojave and Colorado Deserts. What would be included in a 'Mojave' nomination alone would be at least 4,000,000 hectares (or about the size of Denmark).

The Anza-Borrego Desert State Park was in consideration for inclusion during the last Tentative List update of the United States in 2017. This State Park (largest in California) is more than half a million acres and it was designated a National Natural Landmark in 1974. Furthermore, it was selected as an anchor park for the Mojave and Colorado Deserts Biosphere Reserve in 1984. Anza-Borrego has become well-known for its potential for 'super blooms' that occasionally occur during the Spring wildflower season. Like Death Valley and Joshua Tree, Anza-Borrego is an International Dark Sky Park.

In these beautiful desert landscapes I've appreciated the Joshua Tree, the Chuckwallas, the Desert Tortoise, Bighorn Sheep, Tarantulas, Coyotes, Burros, and the enchanting Palm Oasis. Its been an annual delight (outside of Summer) to camp and hike this region. I do hope such a nomination makes it onto the next US Tentative list. 

Mojave and Colorado Deserts Biosphere Reserve (designated 1984)

Flickr Album: Mojave Desert (13 components)

Flickr Album: Colorado Desert (3 components)

Read more from Kyle Magnuson here.