Behind-the-scenes with teams keeping Mojave Desert habitat intact
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.
Notes from the field: New taxa and desert perennials
Seed Bank Field Coordinator Svetlana Iachkova shares the field crew’s findings after a dry season.
Long live the seeds: Germination testing in a conservation seed bank
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.
Preserving the night
Our dark night skies are fading, but this team of researchers is helping to understand how we can protect them.
Documenting the desert’s dark skies
Participating in the dark night sky survey through the WISDOM internship was more than just a chance to collect data—it was a formative step in my journey as an aspiring conservationist.
What I learned in studying the night sky
Many women I know have wanted a career in environmental science, but the opportunities to gain experience in the field were few and far between. I am a current student at Unity Environmental University working towards a B.S. in Environmental Studies and being a part of the Mojave Desert Land Trust’s Women In Science Discovering Our Mojave internship over the last six months has been such a phenomenal experience for me.
Our favorite Mojave Desert wildlife sightings
The desert is not a wasteland! Check out some of our favorite wildlife sightings gathered from staff in the field and wildlife cameras on Mojave Desert Land Trust preserves.