California’s newest state park, Dos Rios, officially opened to the public on Wednesday, June 12.
Located about 8 miles west of Modesto in the San Joaquin Valley, the approximately 1,600-acre Dos Rios property is the largest public-private floodplain restoration project in California to restore habitat for threatened and endangered wildlife at the Tuolumne and San Joaquin Rivers.
While we have an abundance of public lands here in Southern California we don’t have as many state parks as other areas of the state. However, we are rich in National Parks, monuments and preserves. So what’s the difference?
According to the National Park service – a National Park like ours in Joshua Tree contains a variety of resources, and encompasses a large land or water area that provides an adequate protection of those resources.
National Monuments are a designation for an area intended to preserve at least one significant resource. A National Monument is usually created by Presidential Proclamation – the proposed Chuckwalla National Monument south of Joshua Tree is hoping to be President Biden’s 9th use of the presidential power.
The Sand to Snow National Monument stretches from the floor of the Sonoran desert to the peak of San Gorgonio – showcasing the wild variety that can exist in Southern California’s public lands.
Joshua Tree National Monument was established in 1936 and didn’t become a National Park until 1994.
Preserves were established in 1974, and 20 years later the Mojave National Preserve was established to our north. Preserves are created to protect at least one significant resource and allow the use of the land for hunting, fishing, resource collection, or other non-harmful impacts.
Of course the biggest difference in public land designations is National vs. State – California has State Parks, recreation areas and other golden-state specific designations that don’t rely on a federal (or national) designation for protection.
Indio Hills, the Salton Sea and Picacho State Rec area are all designated as a California State Parks, and off-road meccas like the Heber Dunes are called State Vehicular Recreation Areas – another name for the abundant public lands that are protected for our use.
What’s in a name, though? Whichever park, monument or preserve you visit has a history of people living, working and recreating on the land, and protecting these resources as a living testament to our connection with the land ensures we don’t lose it for future generations – perhaps preserving a bit of the wild spirit that has inspired so many people to call the desert home.
California State Parks map
National Park Service name designations
State Parks in our area:
- Indio Hills: https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=640
- Salton Sea: https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=639
- Picacho State Rec: https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=641
- Heber Dunes SVRA: https://ohv.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=25642
