MDLT celebrates conservation wins, outlines California desert challenges in Annual Report
MEDIA RELEASE
For immediate release
April 14, 2023
Contact: Jessica Dacey, Director of Communications
Phone: 760-820-2275, Email: jessica@mdlt.org
MDLT celebrates conservation wins, outlines California desert challenges in Annual Report
Joshua Tree, California – The Mojave Desert Land Trust (MDLT) released its 2022 Annual Report on Friday. The publication celebrates major conservation achievements, while also taking a closer look at the bigger challenges facing the region.
The 2022 Annual Report outlines specific threats to the California desert and explains how the public can make a difference. To cultivate a spirit of hope at this critical juncture, MDLT reimagined Rosie the Riveter for the report cover. Essays and infographics outline how climate disruption and habitat loss are impacting critical species and how the community and MDLT can work together to ensure lasting protection for the desert and its immense biodiversity.
As a full-service land conservancy, MDLT employs a multifaceted approach to help ensure the long-term prosperity of the desert and the plants, animals, and people that rely on it.
MDLT’s 2022 conservation highlights include:
· Permanent protection of 6,983 acres of the California desert, including the acquisition of 640 acres in the Cadiz Valley at the heart of Mojave Trails National Monument and 232 acres in Death Valley National Park.
· Achievement of a milestone of 100,000 native plants grown since 2016 - with 4,143 plants cultivated for restoration projects and community landscaping in 2022. Over 2,200 plants were sold at MDLT’s Fall Native Plant and Salvage Sale, twice the number sold in previous in-person sales.
· Volunteers provided over 1,000 hours of service for stewardship of MDLT lands, over 1,400 hours in support of plant conservation programs, and over 1,000 hours in outreach and education activities.
· Staff and volunteers removed over 18 tons of trash from desert habitat.
· The Mojave Desert Seed Bank surpassed over 700 collections representing over 210 taxa – approximately 10% of the Mojave’s native species.
· Across Southern California, 469 students participated in MDLT’s Desert Discovery Field Studies programming exploring the unique ecological and cultural values of the California desert.
· Interns with the Women In Science Discovering Our Mojave (WISDOM) program provided longitudinal data about tamarisk beetles in Afton Canyon, a current management concern for the Bureau of Land Management in the lushest areas of Mojave Trails National Monument.
· MDLT mobilized support for listing the western Joshua tree under the California Endangered Species Act, hosting a rally, petition, and an email campaign.
“Here in the last relatively intact ecosystem in the United States, we stand at an important juncture if we want to save the California desert’s unique and rich biodiversity. Climate disruption is unleashing intense heat, drought, and uncertain precipitation. Every year, thousands of acres of desert habitat is fragmented and degraded by current human activities, impacting key species. But we are here to fight for it. We made incredible progress in 2022, with nearly 7,000 acres protected and surpassing a new milestone of over 100,000 native plants grown since 2016. We are confident that our multifaceted approach will help ensure the long-term prosperity of the Mojave and Colorado Deserts, and the flora, fauna and people who call this region home,” said Cody Hanford, Joint Executive Director of the Mojave Desert Land Trust.
Note to editors:
To download a copy of the 2022 annual report, click here.
To download photos from the 2022 Annual Report, click here.
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 organization. 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.