The Mojave Desert Land Trust announced all-round conservation wins for the California desert in its 2023 annual report.

The nonprofit organization’s report also outlined “bold action” to preserve two of the California desert’s most iconic species in the years ahead. Here's a look at the land trust's wins in 2023.

As important as it is to save Joshua trees, Kelly Herbinson, executive director of the Mojave Desert Land Trust, said there’s more at stake.

“Our policy is often written for individual species,” Herbinson said, with the “charismatic” Joshua tree an easy choice to single out for protection. “But, in reality, we know that’s not how ecosystems work.”

Species rely on each other, with everything from moths to owls to woodrats dependent on Joshua trees for survival. Thousands of species also share the same Mojave Desert habitat as Western Joshua trees. And Joshua tree woodlands lock away carbon, keeping it from getting into our atmosphere. So by protecting Joshua trees and their habitat, Herbinson said, “We’re also protecting that tightly knit web of an ecosystem at the same time.”

And, she notes:

“We are part of that ecosystem. We rely on that ecosystem functioning.”

It’s the ground underfoot that land trusts know best. The sentient ways of old forests and brooding mountains; the salt tang of tidal marshes and sagebrush reaches of open rangeland. Compared to these tangible places, the idea that we should protect something as intangible as darkness can seem abstract. What is darkness, after all, but the absence of light? And, in a light-saturated world where 80% of North Americans can no longer see the Milky Way, does darkness still serve its age-old purpose? Those are questions that land trusts, no less than scientists or philosophers, may well consider.

The Outdoor Classroom Project has provided a collaborative space for local community partners to teach programs to VYES students. The school recently partnered with educators from Mojave Desert Land Trust for an in-depth environmental studies program and Joshua Tree National Park for a fourth-grade outdoor education program.

Last Friday night, the Mojave Desert Land Trust (MDLT) hosted an enlightening event focused on responsible off-highway vehicle (OHV) use and the importance of respecting the delicate balance of the desert ecosystem. Speaking to a modest gathering, Randy Banis, President of Friends of Jawbone and Friends of El Mirage, and Yanina Aldao Galvan, MDLT Lands Project Coordinator, delivered valuable insights.

The Mojave Desert Land Trust Fall Native Plant sale is happening today – and chances are if you are reading this after 10AM you might be too late. Each season’s native plant sale seems to grow in size and popularity, selling out fast as residents grab up beautiful native species that are easier to grow and maintain here in the desert.

Native plants are resilient in hot weather, requiring less watering and maintenance once they are established in the ground. Thriving from things that we have in abundance – like full year round sun, and surviving hot, dry years – even if they need a little help getting established at first.