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Message from the Executive Director
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In the midst of the anxiety I have been feeling these past few weeks, I’m drawn to the earth, its wild places, and its beauty. I feel solace looking out over desert landscapes; seemingly immutable, they give me a sense that despite the current upheaval, there is an ancient rhythm that can provide both physical and spiritual renewal. I hope during this time you can find comfort in nature.
We at the Mojave Desert Land Trust remain committed to desert conservation. Staff just finished a remarkable first quarter of acquisitions protecting 2,922 acres of land in our National Parks, Monuments, and Wilderness. In this newsletter you’ll see photos and find out what makes these lands special. With the support of volunteers, we also completed phase one of our Desert Discovery Garden.
Read on to find out more about these and other conservations wins. None of this would be possible without your continued support and we are very grateful.
Best,
Geary Hund
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Recent land acquisitions
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We started the year with a great new conservation win: 673 acres have been acquired from one family trust. The purchase includes 544 spectacular acres in Old Woman Mountains Wilderness with cryptobiotic soil, smoke tree, and banana yucca.
In Joshua Tree National Park, we protected another 91 acres. One mountainous parcel is within a desert canyon with numerous washes washes which provide a source of water during storms and pathways for wildlife, and is designated Desert Tortoise Critical Habitat. Another parcel is scenic desert wash.
Our acquisition team has been busy in Mojave Trails National Monument this year. So far, 1737 acres have been protected! One acquisition encompasses 640 acres in the Mesquite Hills (See photo at the top of the newsletter). The land has a former structure that will have to be cleaned up before it is returned to pristine desert. In another 40-acre property, roughly 140 railroad ties are still visible from a former plank road, which was once used by wagons and cars to traverse sandy areas. As the ties are historic, BLM has asked us to leave these intact.
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Plank roads were used in the desert in the past,
often as a way for wagons or cars to traverse sandy areas.
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In the Trilobite Wilderness, we have acquired a 40-acre parcel located on a
high point on an alluvial fan. This Wilderness is filled with geological
wonders and is home to a population of around 150 bighorn sheep. This
property also falls within designated Desert Tortoise Critical Habitat.
Another 40 acres have been conserved in the El Paso Wilderness, south of
the town of Ridgecrest. The property contains blackbrush and volcanic rock.
Red-tailed hawks and barn owls were spotted here. It's a beautiful,
unspoiled area of Mojave Desert.
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These are just some of the recent lands that are now conserved
so far this year! Here’s the total lands we’ve acquired since 2006.
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Stewarding our lands – and more!
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We are grateful to have had fantastic support from the
AmeriCorps NCCC Green 8 team from January to mid-March. These
12 volunteers helped our lands stewards inspect 4,288 acres of
land and remove 453 pounds of waste. The team also helped us
install new conservation signage and visitor kiosks in the
stunning Chuckwalla Bench, south of Joshua Tree National Park.
MDLT led this joint project, in partnership with the National
Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, California State Parks
OHV Funds at Work, and US Fish and Wildlife. We love the new
visitor kiosks!
January saw the beginning of our restoration planning project
at Palisades Ranch. We have been collaborating with many partners
to develop a detailed picture of all the ecological data and processes
at work on this beautiful property. MDLT partnered with researchers
from the University of Nevada to collect topographical data –
identifying changes in elevation as small as three centimeters –
and is working with SWCA to collect and analyze water flow patterns,
soil types, and vegetation coverage. We are looking forward to working
with staff from the United States Geological Survey and Rancho Santa
Ana Botanical Gardens to conduct surveys on amphibians, reptiles, and
rare plants.
Due to the coronavirus, our land stewardship team has temporarily
suspended site inspections outside of the Morongo Basin and is
utilizing remote satellite imagery to continue them farther afield.
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Desert Discovery Garden:
phase 1 now complete
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With help from AmeriCorps, our plant conservation team
was able to install the phase 1 infrastructure for the
new Desert Discovery Garden at our headquarters. Retaining
walls, walkways, irrigation, and garden beds have been
completed. A group of over 30 volunteers then made the
garden come alive in a community planting day! Together
they planted over 300 native plants in the garden. The
firecracker penstemon is already blooming and attracting
hummingbirds! We are now working on installing interpretative
signage. The garden remains closed during the public health
emergency but during California Native Plant Week we will be
sharing spring news. The ribbon cutting and Desert
Discovery Day open house were postponed, but we plan to
reschedule them and we look forward to sharing details soon.
In case you missed it, here is a feature
on the Mojave Desert Seed Bank and our work to protect the Joshua tree.
Many folks know the desert soil is very fragile. If you haven’t
heard about biocrusts, take a look at this
new blog post
by guest author Brianne Palmer
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The Desert Indoors:
New resources for kids stuck at home
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Our Education team has responded to the "shelter in place"
protocol by shifting our Desert Discovery Field Studies
curriculum online. We are continuing to look for new ways
to give children that first experience of the desert. On
Earth Day, April 22, we will be launching a new initiative
providing regular downloadable resources for parents, and
our team will be hosting related videos online during this
crisis. (See Save the Date below for details)
We had a busy start to the year with a clean-up by Black
Rock High School students and a week-long volunteer program
for students for Northeastern University. We thank them for
their service!
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A huge thank you to everyone who bought tickets for our
Desert Voices showcase and benefit dinner, which had to be
postponed due to the public health emergency. We look forward
to announcing the new dates for these events soon.
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A new conservancy
for the California deserts |
There is currently no state conservancy or state entity charged
with protection of the Mojave Desert and the Eastern
Colorado Desert, despite the region occupying 25% of
the state of California. The Mojave Desert Land Trust
applauds California 56th District Assemblymember Eduardo
Garcia for introducing a bill which would focus on the
protection and management of California’s desert resources,
at a time when threats to the region are increasing. AB 2839,
introduced in March, would create the California Deserts
Conservancy within the Natural Resources Agency. It would
play a crucial role in acquiring, protecting and restoring
conservation lands in the Mojave and Colorado Deserts. MDLT
helped get the legislation introduced and it’s actively
involved in efforts to gather support for the Conservancy
from a diverse coalition of groups.
To date, more than
25 groups have signed a letter of support. Read our
release
to find out more.
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Action alert! Help protect the mountain lion!
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As a keystone species facing a number of threats to its existence,
the Southern California and Central Coastal mountain lion needs
all the help it can get. A new petition is being heard by the
California Fish and Game Commission on April 15 to list this
species as threatened.
Read our blog post
to find out how you can help.
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Join our new membership program
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We’ve introduced a new membership program in 2020 to help us
continue to do our conservation work. Join us by making a
recurring monthly or annual donation at a level that you can
afford, and take advantage of our new membership benefits like
tote bags and an MDLT yard sign. Thank you for your support!
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Save the Date |
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Tues, April 14, 12pm PST: How to sow native seeds, a virtual workshop with Madena Asbell, MDLT Director of Plant Conservation Programs. (Watch on Facebook, Instagram or YouTube)
Sat, April 18, 9am PST: California Native Plant Week: Online native plant Q&A with Madena Asbell.
Sat, April 18, 11am PST: Virtual volunteer orientation. Find out about how you can support MDLT now and in the coming months. Ask questions of representatives from the Lands, Nursery and Outreach departments. Email cindy@mdlt.org for the Zoom meeting details.
Wed, April 22, 10am: Video introducton to the Desert Indoors resources for kids, with Mary Cook-Rhyne, Education Coordinator. Watch on Facebook or YouTube.
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There are so many ways to support our work!
Here are a few new ways of giving.
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1% for the Planet
MDLT is proud to be a member of 1% for the Planet – a global movement pairing businesses and individuals with their approved environmental nonprofits, creating high-impact partnerships that amplify the impact of their members’ giving. To visit MDLT’s 1% for the Planet page, go here. For more info about 1% for the Planet, click here.
Stasher
We are pleased to welcome Stasher as the newest MDLT sponsor! They make the world’s first patented, self-sealing platinum silicone storage bags that are reusable, non-toxic and have prevented over 1 billion (and counting!) single-use plastic bags from entering our oceans and landfills. They share our commitment to a clean, healthy environment. Check out their Mojave Collection with colors inspired by our beautiful desert landscape. An as an additional bonus, 1% of sales from this collection will be donated to MDLT! Thank you, Stasher! Visit their website to learn more:
www.stasherbag.com.
Thank you for your continued support!
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THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS
Visit our website to find out how your business can become an MDLT sponsor.
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Follow Us!
  
Mojave Desert Land Trust
P.O. Box 1544 | 60124 29 Palms Hwy | Joshua Tree, CA 92252
(760) 366-5440 | www.mdlt.org | info@mdlt.org
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