The Mojave Desert Land Trust held an open house at its new headquarters in Joshua Tree on Saturday. Reporter Dan Stork was there, and describes the facility and some of its new owner’s plans…
MDLT Conservation Director Frazier Haney led a tour of the facility, which was the location of Hanna’s Nursery during the 1990s, and has been mostly vacant since the turn of the century. The front of the four-acre property, which sits on Twentynine Palms Highway, was designed by local artist Steve Rieman. It features large dramatic windows and high ceilings. The sloping south-facing roof was intended for solar panels, which are not yet part of the facility. The main building has a large amount of office space, and the MDLT is looking for like-minded tenants to share the space. A persistent theme of the open house was the MDLT asking attendees for ideas on what to do with the holding, which is more than ample to meet its present needs, and is viewed as an opportunity for expanding conservation-oriented activities in many directions.
The building surrounds an open rear-facing courtyard and walkway, which is a natural venue for events. The rear half of the property contains two greenhouses, one of which is ready-to-use, and many areas that the original owner Hanna laid out for cultivation of water-wise plants. Decorating the property are picturesque items that the Trust has gleaned from various cleanup projects.
Across State Route 62 from the new headquarters lies Section 33, which the Trust owns. The Trust expects to shortly close a deal for the Quail Wash area, about 690 acres adjacent to Joshua Tree National Park. Funding for the $600 thousand acquisition is mostly in place, with about $10,000 in private funds still needed.
