Mojave Desert Land Trust

California's Colorado and Mojave deserts are among the last relatively intact ecosystems outside Alaska, boasting one-of-a-kind species and remarkable biodiversity. Thanks to the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), passed 60 years ago, and the California Desert Protection Act (CDPA) passed 30 years after, legislators helped establish a legacy of landscape preservation that allows organizations like MDLT to help conserve and steward these fragile landscapes. However, protections for California’s deserts could vanish if these funds and laws are rescinded in coming years. We must act now to avoid the loss of biodiversity and the desert’s iconic natural wonders. Read our new blog post to learn how federal support is crucial to continue the conservation of California’s deserts: https://lnkd.in/ghaiCgsy Photo by Ella Richie DeMaria

Sustainability rocks! Join us for the first annual 29 Palms Rock Rumble Royale, a climbing competition and fundraiser hosted by Cliffhanger Guides supporting MDLT and our friends at Joshua Tree National Park Association and Friends of Joshua Tree. Hundreds of thousands of climbers come to Joshua Tree annually, comprising more than ¼ of all visitors! Join for community-building and a chance to win prizes as we come together to raise funds for conservation. Get your tickets today: https://lnkd.in/gmKxx4mF Photo courtesy Emmie Snead

We knew our community was passionate and committed, but we’re truly grateful and honestly blown away by how many of you stepped in to support us during #GivingTuesday. Together, we met our #GIvingTuesday goal $15,000 - thanks to the match from our Board of Directors - means we have raised a hugely impactful total of $30,000 in funding for MDLT. For a small but mighty team like ours, this is a huge boost for our all-out efforts to save the Joshua tree and the California desert ecosystem it calls home. With your support, MDLT will be proudly advancing a range of innovative and hands-on projects we know can make a difference for this icon of the desert. In the life of a Joshua tree, #GivingTuesday might be the blink of an eye, but this year, we made that moment count for the Mojave. From all of us at MDLT, thank you so much for your financial support and for trusting us to fight to save the Joshua trees from extinction.

Your gift can be doubled this #GivingTuesday to save the Joshua tree and our California deserts! With the Joshua tree facing extinction by the end of the century, MDLT is dramatically expanding and accelerating our work to save it. But we need your help. If we can raise $15,000 by GivingTuesday, every gift will be DOUBLED to fuel our work! Donate now! https://lnkd.in/dP3jV__b

Tomorrow is #GivingTuesday, and I’m hoping you will support the work Mojave Desert Land Trust is doing to protect our California desert. I hope you’ll also support MDLT because they recognize that a huge part of defending our future is supporting young environmental educators like myself. Just a few weeks ago, I was able to gather 60+ other young people to experience the unique beauty and importance of desert ecology with MDLT. During our field trip to the Mojave, the excitement and inspiration we all felt together was so powerful. This field trip allowed people to learn directly from MDLT about ongoing policies, conservation practices, and the incredible work happening on the ground to protect our deserts. This experience was part of the Teaching Climate Together film series. When creating Queer Brown Vegan media projects like this, I always think about how we can go beyond the screen to connect people directly with nature and inspire deeper engagement. Like many of you, I know that we are all too close to losing magical species like the Joshua tree to climate change. I know we are all deeply anxious, disheartened and disappointed by the lack of urgent action to tackle our biggest environmental challenges. But I also know the power of my fellow creatives, activists and nature-defenders to make a difference. You can help us continue that good work this #GivingTuesday. If you can’t give today, I hope you’ll still join us by signing the MDLT petition to save the Joshua tree https://lnkd.in/gE-3Adgs Let’s continue the adventure of celebrating and protecting our planet in 2025 and beyond. #nonprofit #environmentaleducation #genz #conservation #biodiversity

Scientists predict that climate change could drive the Joshua tree to extinction by the end of the century unless we take bold action now. MDLT is expanding our work in a big way, but we need your help. Have your #GivingTuesday gift doubled today to make twice the difference for the California desert! https://lnkd.in/dP3jV__b

A new coalition of nonprofits and government agencies has formed to foster collaboration among the many researchers, land managers and tribes working to conserve Joshua trees, with the help of $1.4 million in seed money from California’s Wildlife Conservation Board. The coalition will be instrumental in carrying out conservation goals and was convened by MDLT. MDLT Executive Director Kelly Herbinson said: “We have to be thinking about it from a proactive approach.” Read more in this new article in the Los Angeles Times. https://lnkd.in/gDweBRng

MDLT is taking our efforts to save the Joshua tree from extinction to a whole new level, and we need your help to lead bold action to protect California's deserts. Have your #GivingTuesday gift doubled today to make twice the difference for the Mojave! https://lnkd.in/dP3jV__b

We have surpassed a new milestone of 125,000 acres of habitat protected! This achievement was made possible thanks to the support of our partners, members, donors, volunteers, staff, Board of Directors, and the landowners who opted to sell or donate their land for conservation. Since 2006, over 1,500 transactions of purchased and donated parcels helped us reach this exciting accomplishment. This year alone we have protected over 5,000 acres, including 385 acres in national monuments, 225 acres in wilderness areas, 575 acres in national parks, and 700 acres in critical habitats. A generous donation of 450 acres in our Morongo Basin habitat linkage area pushed us past the 125,000 acre mark. We are grateful to everyone who has supported us through this journey.

It’s Time: Without bold, unified action now, the Joshua tree could be gone by the end of the century. That’s why @mojavedesertlandtrust is taking our campaign to save this iconic species to the next level. We’re leading a groundbreaking collaborative effort, restoring habitat, and ramping up scientific research. This week, we helped launch the Joshua Tree Conservation Coalition — a powerful alliance of federal and state agencies, nonprofits, researchers, and tribal organizations that are coming together for one mission: Save the Joshua tree. But we need YOU. Unless we show strong, vocal public support, even the best efforts could fall short. Sign on as a Community Supporter of our initiative to save the Joshua tree and help us show decision makers the size and power of the movement backing this keystone species. Together, we can make a difference! #SaveTheJoshuaTree #Conservation #PublicSupport #EnvironmentalAction #MDLT #JoshuaTreeConservation "   Sign on now: https://lnkd.in/gyRi7CGE