Awe, focus, and a feeling of calm are all proven results of spending time in nature. This spring, the Mojave Desert Land Trust and Mil-Tree held the Force of Nature program in partnership with Big Morongo Canyon Preserve. Designed to support veterans’ health and well-being, the program offered immersive outdoor experiences that foster connection to the land, and to one another.

Canyon washes, open desert scrub, and Joshua tree woodlands are among the 8,500 acres stewarded by the Mojave Desert Land Trust in the Morongo Basin region. These preserves include popular trails and support wildlife corridors between Joshua Tree National Park and other public lands. Our stewardship teams regularly return to these properties to monitor and restore habitat. Here’s what we’ve been up to in the first half of 2025.

As a conservation seed bank that stores millions of seeds for research, restoration, and reintroduction, testing seeds to determine their long-term viability is a key part of our work. Learn how staff at the Mojave Desert Seed Bank preserve the most viable native seeds for the future, so they're available when the desert needs them most.