Joshua Tree National Park Expansion Act
S. 1777, the Joshua Tree National Park Expansion Act, would enlarge Joshua Tree National Park by adding about 20,149 acres depicted on a June 2024 map, shifting administration of the added land from the Bureau of Land Management to the National Park Service, and allowing the Interior Secretary to acquire additional land within the expanded boundary by donation, purchase from a willing seller, exchange, or transfer (with a key limitation: California-owned land within the boundary may only be acquired by donation or exchange). The bill also includes a technical correction to a Dingell Act map citation and redesignates the Cottonwood Visitor Center as the “Dianne Feinstein Visitor Center,” with all references updated accordingly. The sponsor is Senator Alex Padilla, and the bill was introduced in the Senate on May 15, 2025.
Key Points
- 1Expansion of Joshua Tree National Park boundary by approximately 20,149 acres, as shown on the map titled “Joshua Tree National Park Proposed Boundary Addition” (map 156/193,676, dated June 2024).
- 2Administrative jurisdiction over the expanded land would move from the Bureau of Land Management to the National Park Service.
- 3Land acquisition authority within the expanded boundary: the Interior Secretary may acquire land by donation, purchase from a willing seller, exchange, or transfer. If the land is owned by California or its subdivisions, acquisition is limited to donation or exchange.
- 4Technical correction to a prior Act: amends Section 1433(a) of the Dingell Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act, updating a map reference from “156/149,375” to “156/149,375A.”
- 5Redesignation of the Cottonwood Visitor Center to the “Dianne Feinstein Visitor Center,” with all future references updated accordingly.