Route 66 is probably the most famous road in the world. It’s a magnet for tourists from around the globe, all wanting to capture that feeling of being “eternal at the wheel,” as Jack Kerouac described in his classic, “On the Road.”

Through direct-action land stewardship, land acquisition, easement management and investing in their own private native plant nursery for desert habitat restoration, MDLT is leading the way for other California Land Trust organizations with a dynamic agenda to protect and defend the Mojave Desert.

The Mojave Desert Land Trust (MDLT) has acquired a property bordering Joshua Tree National Park that could provide access to hiking and climbing opportunities inside the park. The "Desert Knoll" property is in an ideal location for future public access opportunities given its location between the city of Twentynine Palms and Joshua Tree National Park's North Entrance.

The Mojave Desert Land Trust (MDLT) is working to acquire a property in south Joshua Tree on the border of the national park. Because of the geological and botanical properties of the area, MDLT has named the property “Juniper Canyon.”

You'd never know to look at it but underneath the arid land lies the Fenner Basin, a massive aquifer that holds between 17 million and 34 million acre-feet of water, about as much water as in Lake Mead. Cadiz currently uses the water for its 500 acres of farmland. But no one gets rich growing lemons in the desert.