Friends Of The Desert Mtns

Friends is grateful for these partnerships. We want visitors to feel like they can be a part of Coachella Valley’s sustainable future too!

They won't remember: - your salary - how "busy" you were - how many hours you worked What they will remember: - how you overcame barriers to the challenges our planet faces by taking small actions every day towards a sustainable future, creating a ripple effect of hope that reached more people than you could've realized - how often you go birding - that you never forget bug spray

Just a Hello from your friends at Friends! When you think of our California Desert, what's the first thing that comes to mind?

Check out how we’re fulfilling our commitment to #diversityequityandinclusion, #environmentalsustainability, and #socialimpact in #CoachellaValley. #CulturalCompetency and #environmentalEducation are key! #EnvironmentalConnectionsPorVida

30 Acres In The Middle Of Nowhere? Yes, Please! Friends of the Desert Mountains’ most recent completed land acquisition is 30 acres of desert scrub land and hilltop in the southen Mecca Hills/Orocopia Mountains. Immediately adjacent to Hidden Springs Canyon, this parcel -now protected in perpetuity by Friends- provides vital connectivity corridors, allowing wildlife (and plants!) to move throughout the desert to find food, water, and ideal survival conditions. This parcel is an example of how the entire Coachella Valley was meted out for development. Lines were drawn with little thought given to long-term habitat impact, to species extermination, or to natural and cultural resources forever lost in the dust storm created by mankind’s so-called progress. Even today, great swaths of desert wildlands still are sold to be covered up and built over, destroying the crucial climate-saving carbon sequestration the open desert provides to us oxygen-breathers at a rate greater than rainforests. And this is why we get excited about 30 acres in the middle of nowhere. Friends, in partnership with conscientious land developers, business people, scientists, politicians, and activists, became the voice for the Desert. We the people intentionally created thoughtful guiding principles now set forth in the Coachella Valley Multiple Species Habitat Protection Plan. Together, we helped conserve nearly 63,000 acres since 1987. And collectively, we advocated for the establishment of our two local National Monuments: Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains and Sand to Snow. Whether it is acquiring these 30 acres, or advocating for the establishment of the new Chuckwalla National Monument in eastern Riverside County, with your support, Friends remains the voice for the Desert. The work continues today. Friends is committed to protecting additional acreage in this area by purchasing land from willing sellers at fair market value. You can be a part of that legacy by becoming a volunteer with Friends of the Desert Mountains or making a donation on our website. There are still more than 140,000 acres left to acquire in the plan area: more scenic views to preserve, wildlife to protect, and trails to sustain. Thank you for your support! https://lnkd.in/gq53Gqkw Connect to the Land - - - - - - - - - - Join us on a hike or at an educational event - https://lnkd.in/gi3xQa9K Learn more about Chuckwalla National Monument - [email protected] Make time to Volunteer with Friends - https://lnkd.in/gwYERfK2 Support our Work with a Donation - https://lnkd.in/gJAB5Zsu