MEDIA RELEASE
For immediate release
October 5, 2023
Contact: Jessica Dacey, Director of Communications 
Phone: 760-820-2275, Email: jessica@mdlt.org 

Desert-Wise Landscape Tour film explores need to preserve native desert flora

A new film released for the Morongo Basin’s Desert-Wise Landscape Tour gives native plant enthusiasts a closer look inside the Mojave Desert Land Trust’s work to protect seeds and grow native plants.

Directed by the Morongo Basin Conservation Association with major funding by the Mojave Water Agency, the film features new footage of the Trust’s work and interviews with Madena Asbell, Director of Plant Conservation Programs, Lenna Pettersson, Nursery Manager, and Nikol Elaine, a volunteer.

The film depicts the meticulous work involved in preparing seeds for storage inside the Mojave Desert Seed Bank, a facility based at the Trust’s Joshua Tree headquarters that serves as an insurance policy for the Mojave Desert. The seed bank recently was awarded a $3.19 million grant from the California Wildlife Conservation Board in support of California's 30x30 initiative. Through this new funding, the seed bank will be better equipped to help conservationists tackle the urgent need for native seed to conserve the California deserts' unique biodiversity.

The California desert is home to over 2,000 species of native plants, comprising over 30% of California’s diverse flora. Native plants are a critical part of a sensitive desert ecosystem, providing food and shelter for wildlife and cleaning our air and water through soil stabilization and carbon sequestration. Desert ecosystems make up approximately one quarter of the state and suffer from significant drought, severe weather, and precipitous loss of habitat and wildlife. Seed banking has been identified as key to ensuring the survival of our state’s ecosystems by making seed available for the restoration and enhancement of rare, threatened and culturally important species’ habitats. Seed banking also plays an important role in long-term conservation as the state aims to protect 30% of California’s land and water by 2030.

The film also visits a special desert restoration project managed by the Mojave Desert Land Trust in Pioneertown Mountains Preserve. Staff spent 18 months growing buckwheat, cheesebush, and catclaw from seed in the Trust’s nursery for this habitat restoration site, and continue to monitor and nurture the plants with the support of volunteers.

Since 2016, the Mojave Desert Land Trust has grown more than 100,000 native plants for restoration projects and community landscaping. This film was released ahead of the organization’s popular Fall Native Plant Sale (October 7).

Through close-ups and soaring drone footage, viewers can also see different perspectives of the Mojave Desert Discovery Garden at the Trust’s headquarters. This educational garden is open to the public from sunrise to sunset and aims to showcase the beauty and diversity of the Mojave Desert’s native plants and ecosystems. The garden and interpretive signage was created on the site of a former parking lot and was made possible with major funding from the Yuhaavitam of San Manuel Nation, Mojave Water Agency, Stanley Smith Horticultural Trust, and JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa.

“We are grateful to the Morongo Basin Conservation Association for producing this new film about the need to preserve desert biodiversity. We hope it will inspire residents and visitors alike to embrace the unique beauty and diversity of our native flora and incorporate sustainable landscaping materials and techniques in their own gardens. Films like this are important to help create greater understanding of the importance and threats to California desert’s native flora,” said Madena Asbell, Director of Plant Conservation Programs at the Mojave Desert Land Trust.

The film is one of several being produced for the 2023 Desert-Wise Landscape Tour. All videos will be available on MBCA’s YouTube channel (@mbconservation). The films were produced by MBCA Director Stacy Doolittle and filmed and edited by contractor Cole Gibson.

MBCA’s Desert-Wise Landscape Tour is sponsored in part by the Bighorn-Desert View Water Agency, Golden State Water Company, Hi-Desert Water District, Joshua Basin Water District, Mojave Water Agency, and Twentynine Palms Water District.

ENDS/

Note to editors:

The film can be seen at the Morongo Basin Conservation Association’s YouTube channel.

For interviews, please contact Jessica Dacey by emailing jessica@mdlt.org or by calling 760-820-2275.

About The Mojave Desert Land Trust (MDLT)

The Mojave Desert Land Trust (MDLT) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with the mission to protect and care for lands with natural, scenic, and cultural value within the Mojave Desert. Since its founding in 2006, MDLT has conserved over 110,000 acres, conveying more tracts of land to the National Park Service than any other nonprofit. MDLT established a conservation seed bank to ensure the preservation of native species and operates an onsite nursery at its Joshua Tree headquarters which has grown over 100,000 native plants for restoration projects and community landscaping. MDLT educates and advocates for the conservation of the desert, involving hundreds of volunteers in our work. For more information, visit mdlt.org.

About the Morongo Basin Conservation Association

The Morongo Basin Conservation Association is a 501(c)(3) volunteer-run, nonprofit organization and at 54 years since founding, is the Basin’s longest-operating environmental activist organization.