Conservation group seeks court order to stop mining at Mojave preserve

The National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) has filed a motion for a preliminary injunction to immediately halt unlawful mining activities at the Colosseum Mine within Mojave National Preserve, a unit of the National Park System located near Amboy in Kern County, California. The motion, filed on Tuesday, June 24, 2026, in Los Angeles, seeks to stop further damage to the fragile desert landscape caused by recent grading, bulldozing, and road construction at the mine site.

Mining at Colosseum originally ceased in 1993, and the National Park Service was in the final stages of reclaiming the mine and returning the area to public use. However, in an abrupt reversal, the Trump administration approved new mining operations at the site in April 2025.

The NPCA, represented by Earthjustice, filed a lawsuit in April 2025 challenging that decision, alleging violations of multiple federal laws designed to protect national parks from harmful mining impacts.

The NPCA's request for a preliminary injunction asks the court to intervene to protect the desert environment that Congress designated for permanent preservation under the 1994 California Desert Protection Act. According to the NPCA, the ongoing operations have caused documented, irreparable damage to the landscape and have limited public access to the preserve.

Chance Wilcox, NPCA's California Desert Program Manager, described the situation as "gut-wrenching." "To see parts of this landscape, in the heart of the Clark Mountains, being stripped bare and graded down to dirt is hard to put into words," Wilcox said. "We can't sit by and allow irreparable damage to change this place that was promised to future generations, and that's why we're urging the court to step in to protect the park now."

Katrina Tomas, an Earthjustice attorney, added: "Bulldozing, road construction, and mining within the Mojave National Preserve will irreversibly harm the desert landscape in one of our most treasured public places. The Colosseum Mine is proceeding with operations despite being in violation of national environmental laws.

We're seeking a preliminary injunction to halt this destruction before it's too late."

The Colosseum Mine is located in the Clark Mountains within the Mojave National Preserve, near the historic town of Amboy. The preserve, established in 1994, encompasses over 1.6 million acres of desert terrain, including volcanic features such as Amboy Crater, a cinder cone that is a popular destination for visitors.

The NPCA's legal action underscores the ongoing tension between conservation and resource extraction on public lands in California's desert regions.