After a day of hard work amid high desert winds, volunteers and staff stand back to look at a transformed landscape.  

A field once choked with invasives like Russian thistle (Salsola tragus) and pepperweed (Lepidium latifolium) is now cleared, providing more room for the growth of native species like cottonwood (Populus fremonti) and willow (Salix spp.) Desert tortoise habitat once scarred with unauthorized off-highway vehicle tread is now protected with fences and vegetative barriers.

The Earth Day collaboration between MDLT, Four Wheel Campers, Truma North America, and the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service had brought together outdoor enthusiasts from different corners of the west to help restore the unique riparian ecosystem at MDLT’s Palisades Ranch property near Victorville.

Palisades Ranch holds great ecological significance, providing a wildlife travel corridor and watering hole in an arid landscape where running water is scant. Multi-canopy forests and lush riverbanks attract 40 federal and state-listed special status species like the least Bell’s vireo (Vireo bellii pusillus) and the Mojave River vole (Microtus californicus mohavensis). Bluffs carved by ancient river and lake systems showcase millennia of geologic and ecologic change in the Mojave Desert. 

But years of varied development and sometimes unusual usage (including an elephant enclosure for an imported elephant) have resulted in a landscape whose natural state is at risk of eroding away altogether. Past agriculture and unauthorized off-highway vehicle driving have heavily impacted the soil, and invasive plants threaten to outcompete natives.

In April, volunteers and MDLT staff worked together to remove approximately 0.5 acres – or 23,000 square feet – of invasive plants, establish 300 feet of fencing, and plant 300 feet of vertical mulching to support regrowth of natives and remove trespass vehicle routes – all as part of a project supported by the California Department of Parks and Recreation Department, Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division (OHMVR).  

The weekend also featured naturalist talks, including a guided bird walk from Gjon Hazard, ornithologist with the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and information about the threats facing the property. 

“Pulling all the invasive weeds was quite a process, but seeing the progress during removal was awesome,” said Four Wheel Campers’ Sales and Marketing Melanie Garrido. “If we want to continue to enjoy special places, we have to take the time to ensure they are protected.”

Not only was the stewardship event helpful for the habitat, but for the humans, too. Volunteer Julie Hendrix, Natural Resource Specialist from Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, said the gathering gave her the opportunity to connect with other conservationists on a deeper level. “It was so wonderful to be just a part of the volunteer group instead of being the staff executing the event, which is my normal role when I'm working. Since my job is a federal civilian, this activity and others like this give me the opportunity to interact with public as a peer. Hopefully these activities make me a better conservation manager. I sure feel like they do!” 

 Learn more about the conservation needs at Palisades Ranch.

Thank you to the event partners and sponsors Four Wheel Campers and Truma North America.