The Mojave Desert Land Trust is located right on the edge of Joshua Tree – you probably pass by the big MDLT sign on Highway 62 coming in or passing through our small unincorporated community of Joshua Tree.
Tucked between the Town of Yucca Valley and the City of Twentynine Palms, Joshua Tree is of course named after the iconic succulent- which is one of the two threatened species that the Mojave Desert Land Trust named in their annual report that they released earlier this week.
If you aren’t familiar with the land trust – they were founded in 2006 and since then have protected approximately 120,000 acres of the mojave desert. The Mojave Desert is in their name but their service area spans nearly 26 million acres – and includes portions of the Colorado Desert which meets the mojave inside Joshua Tree National Park.
In their 18th year, the land trust is focusing on the future of the Western Joshua Tree – which MDLT executive director Kelly Herbinson says is the first native plant in California to be legislatively protected primarily due to the threat of climate change. They also discuss the ecosystem and shrinking habitat of the Endangered Mojave Tortoise – a species unique to our area and a brand new addition to the California Endangered Species list.
Read: Mojave Tortoise listed as endangered
In the report – Herbinson cites data that shows a shrinking population of both species – the tortoise population declining by 38% in the last 20 years and the slow-growing Western Joshua Tree facing threats from wildfire, development and hotter temperatures in the only areas where it thrives.
Alongside this alarming data are steps that the land trust is taking to make sure these species and protections last into the future.
Their seed bank saw significant expansion in 2023 – in part due to a 3.19 million dollar grant from the California Wildlife Conservation Board. The MDLT says that the investment will enable them to collect, process and store seeds representing 300 different species, alongside expanding the facilities’ current capacity to 500 organisms – or roughly 20% of the desert’s native flora.
The land trust’s sustainable seeds harvesting is alsos responsible for their mega-popular native plant sales – they report nearly 4,000 native plants were sold to desert dwellers eager to plant more water-wise flora in their home environments.
The annual report also details an effort to restore the shoreline of the Salton Sea, the MDLT’s unique Women in STEM program, alongside a nice feature on their desert discovery garden – a personal favorite place to bring folks visiting the hi dez.
Also- if you are a member of the MDLT, you may have noticed they sent a postcard with a QR code that links to a digital version of the nicely designed annual report this year – a welcome move that will certainly see less paper waste.
Read their full annual report here:https://www.mdlt.org/annual-reports
