The proposed Chuckwalla National Monument is approximately 660,000 acres of California desert situated between the southern border of Joshua Tree National Park and north of the deliciously named chocolate mountains. While the Morongo Basin sits securely within the warm borders of the Mojave desert – anyone that’s driven south through the national park toward the cottonwood entrance has experienced the gradual change the landscape takes on as the Colorado desert meets the Mojave – creating two unique ecosystems worth exploring for anyone interested in the biodiversity that they provide.
If you’ve never explored that area on foot, you’ll have a great opportunity in couple weeks to explore the proposed monument on a sunset hike put on by the Council of Mexican Federations in North America, the CactusToCloud Institute and the Mojave Desert Land Trust.
The fun and easy hike will follow a trail along the desert wash through the slabs of Box Canyon. While spring isn’t officially here yet, wildflowers are popping up and there is a chance to see the unique flora and fauna of the surrounding Mecca hills.
The hike is taking place on Saturday, March 16th from 6 to 8:30PM. Water, headlamps and blacklights will be provided, and the organizers are asking folks to sign up early.
The proposed monument area is also home to the First-Class Miners – a non-profit mining group based out of Yucca Valley. Reporter Heather Clisby did a report on the legacy organization and some of the concerns that they hold about the proposed Chuckwalla Monument and the impact it could have on their small-scale mining claims.
Sign up for the Chuckwalla National Monument Sunset Hike at this link.
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