Obama To Designate 3 New National Monuments Covering 1.8 Million Acres Of California Desert

U.S. President Barack Obama will designate three new national monuments in the California desert Friday, expanding federal protection to 1.8 million acres of landscapes in the region.

The designation, requested by U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein, will cover land that wasn't included in the 1994 California Desert Protection Act, and connect three existing sites — Death Valley, Joshua Tree national parks and the Mojave National Preserve — to create one of the world’ largest desert preserves.