But numerous other speakers argued the state has no time to waste in listing the species as threatened as the state faces warmer temperatures and more extreme droughts and fires, all of which can hurt the trees. Kelly Herbinson, executive director of the Mojave Desert Land Trust, said Joshua trees are a “keystone” species of the desert, with other species reliant on its survival. “Climate change is a threat we haven’t had to deal with yet and I get that we’re struggling to figure out the best path forward, but it’s happening and it’s happening now,” she told the commission.

Just last month, the Trust for Public Land donated 1,440 acres to the Mojave Desert Land Trust. The Caliente Creek property, which is ”bound by the Piute Mountains on the East and the Sierra Nevada and Scodie Mountains on the North,” will not only be protected and restored but will also provide space for scientific research and, eventually, public access to its “rolling oak-studded hills.” A habitat linkage between desert and mountains, it’s a key biological hot spot for the endangered California condor as well.

Holding true to a vision to restore and protect biologically and culturally sensitive lands that span 24.5 million acres in the California desert is a noble mission. Inspiring others to become just as excited about the cause and actually learn more about the desert is just as vital.

The Mojave Desert Land Trust (MDLT) succeeds on both fronts, thanks to its innovative educational outreach programs.

The science surrounding the iconic western Joshua tree is grim. The tree’s suitable habitat is expected to decline substantially by 2100 due to climate change, especially in the southern portions of its range — meaning the Joshua tree would largely be unable to survive in its namesake park by the end of this century.

As the Elk Fire raged in Yucca Valley and Joshua Tree National Park, local environmental activists gathered Thursday, May 26, for a rally to support protections for the western Joshua Tree, a species that biologists say is threatened by rising temperatures, development and fires. The Center for Biological Diversity petitioned the state Fish and Game Commission in 2019 requesting that California list the western Joshua tree as a threatened species. Last month, the Department of Fish and Wildlife released a review recommending that the Fish and Game Commission not go through with listing the species as threatened, primarily because they cannot determine with current information how climate change will affect the species.

A group of more than 100 people gathered for a rally at the Mojave Desert Land Trust headquarters to garner support for placing the western Joshua tree on the state’s list of endangered and threatened species.

Speakers at Thursday’s event in Joshua Tree discussed the threats to the iconic plant and the importance of the tree to other desert species, which include humans.

“It’s helping to create oxygen, it’s helping to nourish pollinators, it’s helping to sequester carbon to help mitigate our climate change,” said MDLT’s joint executive director Kelly Herbinson. “Just by being it's protecting us as a species.”