Push to name visitor center at Joshua Tree National Park after late Senator Dianne Feinstein

There's a push to rename the Cottonwood Visitor Center at Joshua Tree National Park after the late Senator Dianne Feinstein. 

U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Laphonza Butler, along with local Representative Raul Ruiz announced the legislation on Wednesday. The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Park held a hearing on the bill the same day.

The Cottonwood Visitor Center is located in the southern part of Joshua Tree National Park, just seven miles north of Interstate 10, and serves as the first contact station for the millions of visitors entering the park from the Interstate each year.

If approved the Cottonwood Visitor Center would be renamed the Senator Dianne Feinstein Visitor Center.

Feinstein authored the California Desert Protection Act of 1994 which created the Mojave National Preserve and made Joshua Tree National Monument a national park.

She also sponsored subsequent legislation to protect natural areas and wildlife corridors in the desert, leading to the creation of the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument, the Mojave Trails National Monument, the Sand to Snow National Monument, and the Castle Mountains National Monument

“It is with great honor that I recognize Senator Feinstein’s commitment to the protection of the California desert by dedicating the Cottonwood Visitor Center in her name. Her perseverance has protected millions of acres across the State of California including the beautiful desert I represent. May this Visitor Center stand as a testament to her enduring legacy and inspire generations to come,” Ruiz said.