New program aims to address prairie falcon threats
Prairie falcons rely on special nesting sites that are under threat. The Mojave Desert Land Trust has launched a new conservation program to help tackle the problem in the California desert.
Ay te Voy: Navigating a career in conservation
Corina Godoy felt she had a calling to work in conservation. Along the way, she didn’t see many people who looked like her. Undeterred and embracing her passion, she forged ahead, knowing that she would have to clear her own path.
Landscaping with desert native plants
With environmental threats like habitat loss and climate change upon us, our beloved wildlife and pollinators will appreciate the sanctuary of your yard. Native plants are well-adapted to this climate and soil, making them a low-maintenance way to beautify your outdoor spaces.
The ultimate desert reading list
Inspired to learn more about the California desert or Indigenous history and culture? We’ve compiled some of the favorite desert reads of Columba Quintero, of the Native American Land Conservancy, Brendan Cummings, of the Center for Biological Diversity, Ken Layne, of the Desert Oracle, and Geary Hund, of the Mojave Desert Land Trust.
Volunteering deepens a connection to the land
As a volunteer land steward, Wendy is responsible for MDLT’s 470-acre spectacular Flat Top Mesa property. Land steward volunteers are trained and help monitor MDLT protected lands by visiting assigned areas periodically, conducting visual site inspections, and collecting simple data to keep record of land changes or management concerns.
Desert plants — and the desert floor itself — are key fighters of climate change
The so-called ‘barren’ lands of the Mojave actually play an important role in keeping carbon out of the atmosphere. Scientists have been surprised to find that deserts, like other ecosystems, function as a carbon sink. This means the Mojave Desert and all the world’s arid lands play a key role in the carbon cycle and carbon uptake — and that preserving them is of high importance as the climate crisis continues. But wait: How does a landscape that seems so empty keep carbon?
Here’s why you should become a volunteer ranger
The Mojave Desert Land Trust manages 7,000 acres of pristine desert in the Morongo Basin. Community Lands Rangers are integral to helping protect those lands. The same qualities that make the Morongo Basin such an appealing place for humans to live — the wide open vistas, starry nights, and scenic landscape — make it an ideal habitat for all sorts of wildlife. In fact, the entire region is crisscrossed by wildlife linkages — natural highways that animals like bobcats, mule deer, and tortoises use to move across the land.