At 1.6 million acres, the Mojave Trails Monument is the largest of the three. The name refers to the desert trails that the Chemehuevi people used to follow along the trading routes to the Pacific. The monument also follows a more modern trail: the snaking Route 66, one of the most iconic roadways in the United States. And it includes huge stretches of mountain-and-basin terrain that aren’t paved. “You can explore Mojave Trails up into the hills, and you can see for 100 miles and not see any roads or buildings,” says Frazier Haney, conservation director of the Mojave Desert Land Trust. “It’s as big a vista as you can find anywhere.”

With his second term winding down, Obama has now protected more than 265 million acres of land and water, more than any other administration. A year ago, Obama designated much of the Angeles National Forest as the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument. The designations, which do not include funding, were supported by groups including the nonprofit National Parks Conservation Assn., the Sierra Club, Defenders of Wildlife, the Center for Biological Diversity and the Mojave Desert Land Trust.

An AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) team is serving with members of the Mojave Desert Land Trust (MDLT) from Jan. 12 to March 15 in an effort to engage local communities in conserving and restoring the environment. The team, known as Gold Two, is made up of 13 members ranging in age from 18 to 24.

The California desert is an icon in the cultural arts community. It teaches us about form and shape along sand dune crests, shows us inspiring colors in sunrise and sunset, and gives a sense of freedom in its expansive landscapes. Artists have long been central to sharing and interpreting the experience of landscapes like this desert while leading efforts to protect them. Portraying this beauty helped spur the movement to create the U.S. Forest Service, the National Park system, and later, the passage of the Antiquities Act in 1906.

After a decade of effort, the Mojave Desert Land Trust has purchased 690 acres in Joshua Tree, the nonprofit announced Wednesday. The Quail Wash parcel, next to the west entrance of Joshua Tree National Park, was part of Joshua Tree National Monument when it was created by President Roosevelt in 1936, but it was removed by Congress for mining activity in 1950...

In a long-sought victory, a group of preservationists has completed the acquisition of a 690-acre land parcel west of the western entrance to Joshua Tree National Park. Ten years in the making, the Joshua Tree-based Mojave Desert Land Trust — which since 2006 has purchased 54,000 acres of desert land for protection — plans to restore the property, called Quail Wash, and to donate the parcel to the national park. The property has important biological significance and is in a critical part of the wildlife linkage corridor, said Danielle Segura, MDLT executive director.