The California Desert Land Conservancy

TO PROTECT THE COLORADO AND MOJAVE DESERTS ECOSYSTEMS AND THEIR SCENIC AND CULTURAL RESOURCES.

LAND PURCHASES THAT HAVE STRATEGIC CONSERVATION VALUES. WORKS TO ENSURE THAT ALL ACQUIRED LAND IS PROPERLY STEWARDED AND MAINTAINED. EVERY LAND TRANSACTION SUPPORTS THE VISION OF A MOJAVE DESERT WITH INTERCONNECTED, PERMANENTLY PROTECTED SCENIC AND NATURAL AREAS HOSTING A DIVERSITY OF NATIVE PLANTS AND WILDLIFE. RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE CONSERVATION EASEMENT MONITORING, SIMPLE RESTORATION, AND WASTE REMOVAL. ALONG WITH LAND PUCHASES IN OUR LOCAL AREA AND OUR CONSERVATION EASEMENT WORK, THE ORGANIZATION HAS CONVEYED 1,308 PARCELS TOTALING 58,843 ACRES TO THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT, CONSOLIDATING OUR PUBLIC LANDS AND CONSERVED OVER 102,000 ACRES.

EDUCATION AND PUBLIC OUTREACH PROGRAM INCLUDE GUIDED HIKES, OUTDOOR EDUCATION, OUTREACH AT LOCAL FAIRS AND FESTIVALS, LECTURES AND WORKSHOPS, SPECIAL EVENTS AND AN INTERNSHIP FOR WOMEN IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATH. A TOTAL OF 913 YOUNG PEOPLE AGED 5-18 YEARS OLD IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CONNECTED WITH THE DESERT THROUGH MDLT'S EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING IN 2023. OF THESE, 495 STUDENTS TOOK PART IN EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING LABS ABOUT DESERT ECOLOGY AND HAD ARTWORK PUBLISHED IN THE CHOLLA NEEDLES: YOUNG WRITERS AND ARTISTS AND JOSHUA TREE VOICE MAGAZINES. AN ADDITIONAL 221 STUDENTS CARRIED OUT STEWARDSHIP AND CONTRIBUTED CITIZEN SCIENCE ABOUT SPECIES ON MDLT LANDS, AND 197 JOINED FIELD TRIPS TO A LOCAL BIRD WATCHING PRESERVE. NINE WOMEN TOOK PART IN THREE RESEARCH TEAMS FOR THE WOMEN IN SCIENCE DISCOVERING OUR MOJAVE (WISDOM) INTERNSHIP, COLLECTING DATA ABOUT TAMARISK BEETLES, BIRDS, BUMBLE BEES, AND SPRINGS IN MOJAVE TRAILS NATIONAL MONUMENT.

THE PLANT CONSERVATION PROGRAM INCLUDES A NATIVE PLANT RESTORATION NURSERY AND A CONSERVATION SEED BANK. THE NURSERY GROWS NATIVE PLANTS FOR RESTORATION CONTRACTS FOR REVEGETATION PROJECTS THROUGHOUT THE CALIFORNIA DESERTS. THE SEED BANK PROGRAM STORES AND PRESERVES NATIVE SEEDS AND HERBARIUM SPECIMENS FROM MDLT PROPERTIES FOR FUTURE RESEARCH. IN FY23, THE NURSERY GREW OVER 20,000 PLANTS INCLUDING THE LARGEST RESTORATION CONTRACT TO DATE - OVER 15,000 SALT-TOLERANT PLANT SPECIES FOR HABITAT RESTORATION AND DUST SUPPRESSION AROUND THE SALTON SEA. IN 2023, THE PLANT CONSERVATION DEPARTMENT RECEIVED A 3 MILLION DOLLAR GRANT FROM THE WILDLIFE CONSERVATION BOARD TO EXPAND THE SEED BANK IN EFFORTS TO HELP PRESERVE AND PROTECT THE BIODIVERSITY OF THE DESERTS OF CALIFORNIA.