Juneteenth reading list
Juneteenth commemorates the day the last enslaved people were emancipated in the United States in 1865. These nonfiction books by black authors continue to shape our culture, contribute to conservation awareness, celebrate exploration, and acknowledge the ongoing work towards equality still necessary over 150 years later.
The ultimate desert reading list
Inspired to learn more about the California desert or Indigenous history and culture? We’ve compiled some of the favorite desert reads of Columba Quintero, of the Native American Land Conservancy, Brendan Cummings, of the Center for Biological Diversity, Ken Layne, of the Desert Oracle, and Geary Hund, of the Mojave Desert Land Trust.
What is desert stewardship?
The California desert environment is “extremely fragile, easily scarred, and slowly healed.” This apt description, from the 1976 designation of the California Desert Conservation Area, drives home the need for specialized stewardship of this beautiful landscape. This photo essay by Land Steward Stream Tuss explains what she does while out on MDLT lands, from checking for traces of tortoise activity to installing vital signage.
Action alert: Help protect the Joshua tree
We are at a critical juncture for the western Joshua tree. It may seem impossible to imagine the southern California desert without its signature Joshua tree forests, but without adequate protective measures to address impending threats, it’s a very likely scenario.
Know your desert pollinators, and the plants they rely on
Native plants in the Mojave Desert are visited by hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies. These pollinators are vital to our ecosystem. But they need our help.
It’s alive! The hidden microbial communities below our feet
California’s deserts are harbors of biodiversity — filled with blossoming wildflowers, charismatic animals, and imperceptible microorganisms. Walk through a desert and you might see a vast vista of protruding peaks speckled with desert scrub. Look a little closer and you might see pops of color, fragrant forbs scattered across the soil. Easily missed, biocrusts are ecosystem engineers in the soil. Here’s why we need to watch where we step.
Preserving a symbol of the desert
For the past six years MDLT has conducted two annual desert tortoise surveys on some of our lands. The surveys we conduct are meant to determine the tortoise’s presence or absence from the area over consecutive years. This helps MDLT, as well as the California Department of Fish & Wildlife, understand the conditions and health of Gopherus agassizii populations and habitat.