Conservancies Complete Landmark Conservation Deal in Southern California Desert
9,000-acre wildlife corridor links Coachella Valley Preserve to Joshua Tree National Park
Coachella Valley, Calif.—September 22, 2004—The Nature Conservancy and the Coachella Valley Mountains Conservancy announced today the acquisition of 4,361 acres from Cathton Holdings Inc., concluding a two-part deal to preserve a 9,000-acre wildlife corridor between the Coachella Valley Preserve and Joshua Tree National Park.
The two-part conservation deal—the largest in Coachella Valley history—officially ends plans to develop the Joshua Hills property into a new desert city. It also ensures the long-term protection of the Coachella Valley Preserve, which relies on sand and water from Joshua Hills to sustain its fragile sand dune ecosystem, 11 palm oases and unique species.
“We did it!” said The Nature Conservancy’s E.J. Remson, who spent more than two years negotiating with the private landowner and working with the Coachella Valley Mountains Conservancy to assemble funding for the complex deal. “Today, we acquired the lynchpin property between the Coachella Valley Preserve and Joshua National Tree Park. As a result, the preserve now covers more than 29,000 acres and hooks up to a national park that covers more than 800,000 acres.”
“When we first set our sights on conserving this huge property, we asked The Nature Conservancy to partner with us,” said Bill Havert, executive director of the Coachella Valley Mountains Conservancy.
“With a big chunk of state open space bond funds, approved by the voters in 2002, as well as local government and private funds, and the support of many elected officials, community groups, and individuals, the partnership accomplished what no one entity could do alone.”
An acquisition partnership including the Coachella Valley Mountains Conservancy, The Nature Conservancy, Resources Legacy Fund Foundation, the Coachella Valley Association of Governments and the City of Palm Desert purchased the initial 4,520 acres of the Joshua Hills property in July. The remaining 4,361 acres were acquired Sept. 21 with funding from The Nature Conservancy, the Coachella Valley Mountains Conservancy, the Coachella Valley Association of Governments, and the Wildlife Conservation Board. The property will be managed by the California Department of Fish and Game, the Coachella Valley Association of Governments, the nonprofit Friends of the Desert and Mountains, and California State Parks, which is expected to acquire 1,667 acres from The Nature Conservancy later this year.
Acquisition of Joshua Hills expands the Coachella Valley Preserve by more than 50 percent, to approximately 29,000 acres, and links it to Joshua Tree National Park, which covers 800,000 acres. At one time, the property was targeted for the development of 12 golf courses, 7,000 homes, three hotels, two country clubs, a university and various retail stores and restaurants.
The 9,000-acre Joshua Hills corridor is an essential sand source for the Coachella Valley Preserve’s sand dune ecosystem, which supports several unique species, including the endangered Coachella Valley fringed-toed lizard, the Coachella Valley round-tailed ground squirrel and the Palm Springs pocket mouse. The property also includes part of the watershed for the preserve’s 11 palm oases, and it serves as a critical wildlife corridor for kit foxes, bobcats and desert bighorn sheep traveling between the preserve and the park. The area has also been identified as a critical conservation area in the forthcoming Coachella Valley Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan.
In 1984, The Nature Conservancy purchased 17,000 acres in the Coachella Valley and spearheaded efforts to develop the country’s first Habitat Conservation Plan—a cooperative land management agreement that established the Coachella Valley Preserve in 1986.
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