The Mojave Desert Land Trust (MDLT) is holding their second volunteer orientation event of 2026 on Thursday, March 26 beginning at 11:00 a.m.
Volunteering for the land trust is a simple process and gives you access to lands, projects, and people that you didn’t have previous access to, and the projects you can put your energy toward range from land cleanup and stewardship to seed cleaning and nursery work.
I recently attended the last volunteer orientation at MDLT headquarters right here in Joshua Tree. Not only did I get to meet a couple dozen desert dwellers who already had overlapping interests with me, we also headed straight out to tackle invasive mustards off Highway 62.
I also got to tour the seed room and check out the gear and gadgets that plant technicians and volunteers get to use to clean, inspect and store native seeds for use in habitat restoration and plant propagation. You also get behind the scenes tours of their native plant gardens and greenhouses, which should be a pretty inspiring sight as we head into spring.
Your volunteering can take you outside of the Joshua Tree area, as well. While the MDLT has lots of local land in the basin, their land stewardship continues to open up new areas that need rehabilitation. For instance the Rock Springs Ranch out near Apply Valley is a fairly new acquisition which is getting a second volunteer day this month. On March 12th the 1,600 acre Palisades Ranch preserve will have a full day “bioblitz” where volunteers can explore the preserve and the riparian habitat, and participate in community science by helping count insects and bats as evening settles in.
To participate in any of these activities, you have to go through orientation so save the date: the next one is taking place Thursday, March 26th from 11:00 to 2:00 p.m.
You can sign up and get more information at www.mdlt.org/volunteer
