By Ella DeMaria, MDLT Social Media and Outreach Coordinator It takes a village Conservation is a community effort. Few Mojave Desert Land Trust (MDLT) properties exemplify this like Caliente Creek, a special place crucial to desert health. Here, mountain ranges merge with the desert floor as rolling hills of blue oak (Quercus douglasii) and…

By Mary Cook-Rhyne, Education Programs Manager Introduction Over four years, interns with the Women In Science Discovering Our Mojave program returned to five data points within Mojave Trails National Monument to study the presence of the tamarisk beetle (Diorhabda spp.), introduced as a biocontrol against invasive tamarisk trees. Data collected illustrates…

By Hunter Herbert, MDLT volunteer The Pacific Flyway is a flight path for migratory birds that originates in Alaska and ends in Patagonia, South America, passing through California along the way. It is a valuable route for birdlife, shown through the volume of birds passing through each year — around…

By Jessica Sain-Baird, MDLT volunteer About three million people visit Joshua Tree National Park each year, and it’s the eighth-most visited U.S. national park overall. If you’re one of the many curious explorers coming to Joshua Tree this season, it’s smart to first familiarize yourself with the sensitive desert landscape. …

Donor Relations Manager Kellie Flint sat down with volunteer and donor Patty Domay to find out how she fell in love with the desert and why she’s decided to join MDLT’s planned giving society, the Desert Stars. KF: Thanks for talking with me today Patty! Tell us about yourself. How…

By Ella Richie DeMaria, MDLT Social Media & Outreach Coordinator We get by with a little help from our friends — AmeriCorps, that is. Twice in 2023, AmeriCorps National Civilian Conservation Corps (NCCC teams) assisted the Mojave Desert Land Trust with crucial habitat restoration and construction projects for our plant…

By Mary Cook-Rhyne, MDLT Education Manager New data collected by interns offers rare insights into the summer bird populations at two oases in the Mojave Desert. Interns with the Women In Science Discovering Our Mojave program visited Arrowweed and Bonanza springs over a six-month period to study birds and bumble…

By Karina Murillo, WISDOM intern Bonanza Spring is the largest freshwater spring in the southeastern Mojave Desert. From its 2,105 feet elevation in the low foothills of the Clipper Mountains, the spring’s freshwater is derived from a groundwater basin source. Women In Science Discovering Our Mojave interns studied avian and…

By Ella Richie DeMaria Not all who wander are lost. In our third blog post honoring Mental Health Awareness Month, we speak with Travis Puglisi, owner and operator of Wandering Mojave Hiking Services. A resident of the desert for over 20 years, Travis launched Wandering Mojave Hiking Services after extensive…