BLM.gov: Women in science gather important data in the Mojave Desert
Jessica Graybill Jessica Graybill

BLM.gov: Women in science gather important data in the Mojave Desert

Tracking beetles, studying bighorn sheep, counting bumble bees, identifying bird species - these are just some of the activities interns participate in as part of the Women In Science Discovering Our Mojave, or WISDOM, an internship program providing science, technology, engineering and math opportunities for women biologists.

Started by the Mojave Desert Land Trust, the Bureau of Land Management’s Needles and Barstow Field Offices have partnered with and supported the program since 2019. The WISDOM program creates opportunities for burgeoning women scientists to explore the Mojave Desert and gain valuable field experience to assist in a career path as future scientists and desert advocates. In many cases, the program is the participants’ first taste of field biology in the Mojave Desert.

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LA Times “The Wild”: The best part of Joshua Tree may be what you never see. That’s a good thing.
Jessica Graybill Jessica Graybill

LA Times “The Wild”: The best part of Joshua Tree may be what you never see. That’s a good thing.

There’s a regenerative power in the desert, no matter how bone-chillingly cold it is on a January night.

Last weekend, I saw plenty of gorgeous granite — and even climbed it. Jumbo Rocks Campground in Joshua Tree National Park is radiant with inselbergs, or islands of rock formed by erosion, that are millions of years old. The feeling of hiking in the shadows of these behemoths is transformative.

I’d wanted to hike across the sand dunes I had heard about, including some of the 640 Cadiz Valley acres newly protected by the Mojave Desert Land Trust (MDLT). But, as we picked up s’mores ingredients at the Twentynine Palms grocery store, I briefly got online. What I read in the MDLT press release announcing the Mojave Trails National Monument area stopped me in my tracks. “As there is little human disturbance, this special property has ample signs of wildlife, with numerous animal tracks visible in the sandy soil,” the MDLT conservators wrote.

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Z107.7FM: Mojave Desert Land Trust adds 6,601 acres of protected desert land in 2022
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Z107.7FM: Mojave Desert Land Trust adds 6,601 acres of protected desert land in 2022

Land conservation and protection remains a hot topic this year as populations continue to grow here in the Morongo Basin and other rural desert areas. The Mojave Desert Land Trust, or MDLT, has closed out 2022 with 6,901 acres of desert being permanently protected and added to their significant land holdings in California. Some significant acquisitions include 232 acres in Death Valley national Park, a 640 acre property in the Mojave Trail National Monument, and over 1400 acres in the Caliente Creek watershed.

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LAist: The Mojave Desert Land Trust Added 7,000 Acres To Protected California Lands
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LAist: The Mojave Desert Land Trust Added 7,000 Acres To Protected California Lands

Some 7,000 acres of land was permanently protected this year through conservation efforts by The Mojave Desert Land Trust — including a highly significant acquisition of property in the Cadiz Valley.

What Was Protected? The 640-acre property in the Cadiz Valley located in Mojave Trails National Monument. It's significant because the property contains ample signs of wildlife with little human disturbance. In total, more than 8,000 acres of this monument have been preserved over the years.

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NBC Palm Springs: Mojave Desert Land Trust Permanently Protected 6,901 Acres This Year
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NBC Palm Springs: Mojave Desert Land Trust Permanently Protected 6,901 Acres This Year

The Mojave Desert Land Trust announced Monday that it worked to secure the permanent protection of 6,901 additional acres of California desert land this year. Among the parcels protected from development through the trust’s effort were 232 acres in Death Valley National Park, a 640-acre property in the Mojave Trails National Monument and 1,440 acres in the Caliente Creek watershed, according to the organization.

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