Trash dumping is a big problem here in the Morongo Basin—something about our wide-open spaces that tempts bad behavior. But one man and his family have been cleaning up the desert on their own time and their own dime. Reporter Heather Clisby has more details…
Though the Desert Cleanse Project (DCP) was given a name last year, Colin Sauter has been cleaning up the desert most of his life. A former student at Friendly Hills, La Contenta and Yucca Valley High Schools, Sauter was influenced by his aunt and uncle, both rangers. “I’d go along with them to put up signs, paint buildings, pick up trash—I’ve been doing it forever,” Sauter said.
DCP aims to clear the desert of dumped trash at local camp sites, off-roading areas, retired homeless camps and BLM land. When cleaning up the homeless encampments, Sauter often reflects on his own difficult past. “I don’t judge people. I lived in a shed. I lived in a car. I know what it’s like and I know what it feels like to be judged,” he said.
DCP began when Sauter and his wife, Jill—who named the project—were walking their dogs, Nova, Kitty and Moose, and noticed all the trash. Sauter started cruising around in a golf cart to collect debris before realizing it was endless. Sauter estimates DCP has collected 87,000 pounds of trash over the last two years. Sauter says he and his wife are “night-time mental health professionals and day-time environmentalists.” Sauter’s teenage son, Zachary, also helps out when he is in town.
Sauter has gone through two pick-ups and two trailers in the quest to clean the desert floor but they are now building a “super trash truck” to help with the mission. Just this year, Sauter has visited the dump 34 times. “I would say that I’ve also brought in about 10,000 pounds of trash found within a half-mile of the dump,” Sauter said. “Everybody wishes the dump was free, but it’s not.” (Cost is $13.39 for up to 300 pounds of “ordinary residential waste.”)
The most common trash that DCP collects is from the construction industry—concrete, drywall, roofing tar and housing debris from remodels. Also, an abundance of nails are found on dry lakebeds. “A cheap pallet has about 180 nails in it, a better one has about 250 nails. People burn them for the wood and the nails are left behind,” Sauter said. He uses a wide rolling magnet to collect them and in 2019, he removed 422 pounds of nails and 550 tires from the desert landscape. This year, Sauter gathered 180 pounds of nails from just one location.
In this year so far, DCP has gathered over 35,000 pounds of trash but Sauter’s goal is to hit at least 50,000 pounds.
Though Sauter has been reluctant to ask for help, KC HiLiTES stepped in as DCP’s first sponsor, and others have since joined. DCP now has 22 sponsors including several local businesses such as Joshua Tree Blanket Company, Joshua Tree Music Festival, Country Kitchen, Solid Tattoo, John’s Garage, Bob’s Auto Glass and Cliffhanger Guides.
Sauter states that nearly all DCP funding comes from the off-road community. “I am the only person to be sponsored by CORVA (California Off-Road Vehicle Association) since they began in 1970,” Sauter said. “That’s a big deal!”
Sauter has spent his own savings on the project and recently borrowed money to buy dump trailer. Sauter also cites vehicle maintenance, dump fees and, of course, the time. “I almost quit several times,” Sauter said. “People don’t realize what it takes to do this, especially in gas alone.”
To learn more about DCP, Sauter suggests visiting the Desert Cleanse Project Facebook page. To donate on PayPal or Venmo: @Desertcleanseproject. Cash donations are also taken on behalf of DCP at the Joshua Tree Country Kitchen and Joshua Tree Blanket Co.
Asked what drives him in the DCP mission and Sauter is stumped.
“I don’t know. Striving to be karmatically neutral? I don’t know. What else are you going to do? We’re not church people,” he said. “I think that’s what you’re supposed to do in a community. My aunt and uncle jammed that down my throat.”
