"Hiking in the glorious mountains that surround the Coachella Valley is one of the best things about living here.

Understandably, the hiking community is nervous about the proposed exchange of about 5,800 acres of Bureau of Land Management property for nearly 1,500 acres of land owned by the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians.

The land is part of the federally protected Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument, but land swap discussions were in progress even before the monument was established 10 years ago.

This would help eliminate some of the checkerboard pattern established when President Ulysses S. Grant created the reservation in 1876.

Friday is the final day to comment on the proposed exchange.

It makes sense for the Agua Caliente band to acquire contiguous property, but what concerns the hikers is that the land that would fall under tribal control includes part of some of our most popular trails."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Trails should remain open and free to all (The Palm Springs Desert Sun 11/17)

Relevant Documents:
BLM-Agua Caliente Land Exchange EA (July 2010)

Related Stories:
Hikers upset over land swap between Agua Caliente Band and BLM (11/4)
BLM extends public comment on Agua Caliente land deal again (10/26)
Opinion: Agua Caliente Band land swap not good for the public (10/5)
BLM extends comment period on Agua Caliente Band land swap (9/14)