MOJAVE DESERT LAND TRUST
Tell Congress: No public lands sell-offs or funding cuts!
After massive public outcry, Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) reintroduced a new amendment to the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act. Local recreation areas, wilderness study areas, critical wildlife habitat, and big game migration corridors are still up for sale. What's new: Up to 1.2 million acres of lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management within 5 miles of population centers in 11 western states, including California. These local lands are often the most easily and frequently accessible areas to recreate. They are the economic livelihood of our communities, supporting local businesses, tourism, and outdoor recreation jobs.
We need to keep up the pressure on Congress and make it clear: No version of this proposal is acceptable. Use our quick action form to write to your Senator before they vote!
We take on the greatest challenges facing the California desert, permanently protecting land, restoring habitat, and preserving native seeds. We defend the dark night skies, water, and critical species that make up a thriving desert ecosystem. We recognize this work is only possible through collaboration with the wider community and by inspiring the next generation of desert stewards. We believe in the transformative power of this landscape, and that everyone deserves access. We're determined to maintain the California deserts as an intact and biodiverse ecosystem for generations to come.
MDLT News
-
![]()
Protected wildlife habitat impacted by Ranch Fire
A quarter of a 595-acre nature preserve protecting desert springs and a variety of flora and fauna has been impacted by the Ranch Fire in San Bernardino County. Read more here.
-
![]()
Long live the seeds: Germination testing in a conservation seed bank
Learn how Mojave Desert Seed Bank staff preserve the healthiest native seeds for the future, so they're available when the desert needs them most. Read more here.
-
![]()
Preserving the night
Our dark night skies are fading, but this team of researchers is helping to understand how we can protect them. Read more here.
-
![Picture of a Cholla Gardens in Mojave Trails National Monument]()
MDLT responds to executive order on protecting American energy
This executive order could upend the state’s ability to maintain a balanced approach to development and conservation. Read our statement.
-
![]()
Statement on Environmental Protection Agency regulatory policy rollbacks
The Environmental Protection Agency announced plans to overturn 31 regulatory policies, including an essential climate safeguard. Read our statement.
-
![Visitors to Death Valley National Park]()
Mojave Desert Land Trust deeply concerned over federal staff firings
These actions put landscapes at risk that are championed and beloved by our communities and visitors alike. Read our statement.
-
![]()
The race to save seeds of California's disappearing Joshua tree
In a small room tucked into the corner of the Mojave Desert Land Trust’s headquarters in Joshua Tree, three nondescript white refrigerators hold the future fate of the desert landscape. Read more here.
-
![]()
Chuckwalla National Monument is a beacon of hope for desert biodiversity amid changing climate
In establishing the national monument, President Joe Biden recognized its “awe-inspiring landscape of mountain ranges, meandering canyons and washes, dramatic rock formations, palm oases, and desert-wash woodlands” and the remarkable ecological, cultural, and historical value they hold. Read more here.
-
![]()
New coalition of experts to tackle conservation of imperiled Joshua trees
The coalition was initiated by the Mojave Desert Land Trust and funded by California’s Wildlife Conservation Board to address the need for swift action and strong partnerships in combating threats to the declining keystone species. Read our press release.
-
![]()
Protecting California's deserts with LWCF
More than 2,400 native plant species, 72 occurring nowhere else on earth, reside in the windswept dunes, craggy mountains, life-giving waters, and other habitats that encompass the region. Read more here.
-
![]()
California has officially listed the desert tortoise as endangered. Will it be enough to save them?
Unfortunately for the species' long-term survival, human beings have been destroying their habitat in a number of ways, from paving new roads and operating military bases to constructing utility plants and grazing livestock. Read more on Salon.com.
-
![]()
‘Seeds are life’: How a seed bank in the Mojave Desert is preserving an ancient ecosystem under threat
In long sleeves, pants, and wide-brimmed hats to guard against a harsh sun in a cloudless blue sky, a team of four led by Madena Asbell crouches in the dirt, looking for another treasure. See the Mojave Desert Seed Bank as featured on CNN.
-
![A desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) is in focus while the landscape behind it is out of focus.]()
Targeted conservation for the desert tortoise
We often speak of them as ambassadors, icons, or keystone species, but none of those terms capture the degree to which tortoises resemble wizards. Read more.
-
![Two young women examine native seeds in a microscope at Mojave Desert Land Trust headquarters in Joshua Tree, California.]()
Transcending barriers to nature
A new film shows how hundreds of local schoolchildren had the opportunity to learn first-hand about the Mojave Desert Seed Bank and native plants through the Desert Discovery Field Studies (DDFS) program this year. Watch the video to learn more about MDLT's educational programs.
-
![A landscape image of desert mountains with green plants in the foreground. Snow-dusted mountain peaks are in the distance amid a bright blue sky with a few fluffy clouds.]()
Protecting springs in the driest desert in North America
In the driest desert in North America, seeps and springs percolate in the nooks and crannies where mountain ranges meet. Explore the rich biodiversity and see which threatened species are found in this special habitat in our new storymap.
-
![]()
Public land in Mojave Desert just named as California's newest national monument
Chuckwalla National Monument was established in mid-January by outgoing President Joe Biden as one of his last executive actions after several years of grassroots and advocacy campaigning by groups like Mojave Desert Land Trust (MDLT). Read more here.
What we do
-
Land acquisition & stewardship
The Mojave Desert Land Trust acquires and permanently protects ecologically significant land throughout the California desert. We focus on parcels within national parks and preserves, wilderness areas, areas of critical environmental concern, and wildlife corridors. MDLT has conveyed more tracts of land to the National Park system nationwide than any other non-profit since 2006.
-
Native plant propagation & seed bank
MDLT’s plant conservation program includes a native plant nursery, a conservation seed bank, and a demonstration garden. We grow native plants for desert restoration projects and to empower locals to plant native plants at home. The Mojave Desert Seed Bank serves as an insurance policy for the desert’s future.
-
Education & outreach
Successful, long-term conservation of the desert depends on community engagement. We work to keep the public informed about current research and policies affecting the California desert region. Our volunteer and education programs serve to train new desert conservationists who will carry our mission on for years to come.
With your support, we have
The Mojave Desert Land Trust acknowledges that the land where our headquarters is located is the ancestral and unceded territory of the Maara’yam, commonly referred to as the Serrano people. We honor their presence and recognize their contributions since time immemorial as the first stewards of this land. We also acknowledge that the Cahuilla and Chemehuevi peoples, as well as European settlers, intersected in these spaces. Our histories and stories are intertwined in this space, and by sharing them in culturally appropriate ways, we hope to honor and celebrate our Indigenous neighbors and partners.
We also acknowledge that the land that we help to preserve is the ancestral land of many tribal communities. We recognize that Native Americans continue to practice traditional lifeways on their sacred ancestral lands throughout the California desert. We would like to acknowledge all the Indigenous peoples who have preceded us in preserving the natural, scenic, and cultural resources of these lands.