The Mojave Desert Land Trust (MDLT) has acquired a 43-acre parcel within the Sand to Snow National Monument, near Highway 62 to help with future plans for wildlife crossings over this treacherous road. On August 1, a bighorn sheep was killed trying to cross the highway in Morongo Valley and in 2018, a mountain lion was killed at the Yucca Grade area of the highway. Community members in Morongo Valley recently erected road signs on the highway reminding motorists to slow down.
MDLT owns land directly bordering both sides of the highway in Morongo Valley and has been working closely with the California Department of Transportation and other agencies to explore options for future possible crossings in the area. To create the wildlife crossings, Caltrans would construct highway overpasses with fencing along the roadway to direct animals to safe passage.
To date, MDLT has acquired 7,338 acres within the Morongo Basin habitat linkages between Joshua Tree National Park, Sand to Snow National Monument, and the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in 29 Palms.
The Mojave Desert Land Trust recently surpassed a milestone of 100,000 acres conserved across the California desert and will celebrate its 15th anniversary on August 17.
