    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1994, Book II)]
    [October 31, 1994]
    [Pages 1918-1919]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Statement on Signing California Desert Protection Legislation
    October 31, 1994

        I take great pleasure in signing into law S. 21, the ``California
    Desert Protection Act,'' an Act to preserve for the American people a
    resource of extraordinary and inestimable value.
        The Act designates as wilderness approximately 7.7 million acres of
    Federal lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management and the
    National Park Service. The Act adds approximately 3 million acres to the
    National Park System, including magnificent lands adjacent to the Death
    Valley and Joshua Tree National Monuments, which are redesignated as
    National Parks. It also establishes the Mojave National Preserve as a
    new unit of the National Park System.
        Few Presidents have the opportunity to preserve so valuable a piece
    of this Nation's heritage. I exercise this opportunity with enthusiasm
    and gratitude. I am enthusiastic because this is the first time since
    1980 that the United States has set aside so rich and vast an area. The
    broad vistas, the rugged mountain ranges, and the evidence of the human
    past are treasures that merit protection on behalf of the American
    people. I am grateful because we have successfully concluded the long
    struggle to conserve these lands.
        I also note that the Act establishes the New Orleans Jazz National
    Historical Park. Jazz is among our country's most widely recognized
    indigenous music and art forms. The creation of this park is very timely
    given that next May is the 100th anniversary of the formation of the
    Buddy Bolden in New Orleans, an event many see as the birth of jazz in
    America.
        Senators Dianne Feinstein, Barbara Boxer, Bennett Johnston, and
    George Mitchell, and Congressmen George Miller, Richard Lehman, and
    Bruce Vento deserve our thanks for their leadership and persistence in
    passing this legislation. I also want to thank Interior Secretary Bruce
    Babbitt and his staff for their tireless efforts on behalf of this
    Administration priority. This achievement is a tribute to the many
    citizens who worked with congressional leaders and the Administration to
    ensure the protection of these desert gems.
        This Act is proof that the common good and the will of the people
    can prevail. Today, as

    [[Page 1919]]

    I sign this bill, I am pleased to contribute my part to the preservation
    of the California Desert for the enjoyment of generations to come.

                                                          William J. Clinton

    The White House,
    October 31, 1994.

    Note: S. 21, approved October 31, was assigned Public Law No. 103-433.