New desert monuments are celebrated with style

Cheers, tears and smiles were plentiful as several hundred people attended the long anticipated National Desert Monuments designation celebration on Thursday, May 5, at the Whitewater Preserve.
The designation came after decades of work from Senator Dianne Feinstein and other conservationist to protect the desert. David Myers, Executive Director of the Wildlands Conservancy, hosted the celebration at the Whitewater Preserve. He was moved to tears as he thanked everyone who helped make the day a reality and told the story of an anonymous husband and wife who donated $1 million, then later pledged $35 million to protect over a half million acres of wilderness. About 15 years ago, the Wildlands Conservancy made the largest conservation land gift in American history when it donated some 560,000 acres in the Mojave Desert to the U.S. Department of Interior. Under the leadership of Myers, The Conservancy has worked tirelessly to conserve landscapes across California. Myers thanked the Sec­retary of the Interior Sally Jewell, who was present at the celebration and led a group of environmentalists and dignitaries on a seven mile-hike through the Whitewater Preserve the day prior...more

 The enviros put on a show to get the designation and then put on another show to celebrate their success.  Meanwhile, the rest of us watching the show are doing so from the farthest back seats or otherwise from afar.