The Mojave Desert Land Trust in Joshua Tree announced Wednesday that it has acquired the Palisades Ranch on the Mojave River north of Victorville from the Western Rivers Conservancy. Once slated for 1,300 homes and a golf course, the ranch is within a transition zone which includes important riparian habitat for 39 federally and state-protected wildlife species.

“This new scientific study highlights the need for further review of the environmental science underpinning the Cadiz Inc. groundwater pumping project," noted Joshua Friedes, Executive Director of the Mojave Desert Land Trust, which funded the study.