C O A C H E l l A VA l l E Y MOUNTAINS CONSERVANCY P R O T E C T I N G O U R N A T U R A l A N D C U l T U R A l H E R I T A G E

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BIll HAVERT THE COACHEllA VAllEY VAllEY COACHEllA THE

GEARY HUND west from thehills. palm oases that dot the Indio Hills and the mesquite dunes extending hills. the across riot runs shadow and light of interplay the when afternoon late of carved them into such a dramatic relief, erosivethe of and hills power of these “gully-washers” created that fault Andreas San the of power the of reminder valley,the of center the through Slicing its qualityoflife. to immeasurably contribute and valley the mountains. define They night, at Coachella the massif of residents the Valleytreasurethese alike visitors starlit and the or dusk, at shadows at purple the sunrise, slopes red-tinged the the in at life for marveling Valley. backdrop Coachella the Whether form valley the of side south the on THE

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restaurants and shopping and bustle of city life are just minutes away. magnificent show in a wet year, and where you’d never know that thevalley. the whereareawildflowers between a an Instage lies still can HIllS MountainsJoshuaand Tree INDIO National Park, defining of side north the THE BEYOND resource treasures. cultural and archaeological with rich Coachella Valley is here,the thrived first Nativewho the of Americans reminders traps, other or fish petroglyphs, sites, village system, trail ancient an it’s Whether So many speciesnamedaftertheoneplacein world they occur. on. goes list Coachella the the cricket, treaderand Valleysand giant Valleymilkvetch, Coachella the Valley squirrel, ground round-tailed ofspecially host CoachellaValleyadapted species:the Coachella a fringe-toed lizard,the supporting persist, still floor valley the of most covered once that dunes great the floor,valley of the remnants On i te ite a Bernardino San Little the lie

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JON STEWART CONSERVANCY C N A V R E S N O C E H T MORE TION OUR U O T I S I V N O I E AT T M I R S O B F E N W I E R O M R O F over 47,800acres, including: Since its inception, the Conservancy and its havepartners conserved ACCOMPLISHMENTS Coachella Valley:the of MISSION OUR interests working together forthegoodofall. officials, communities, local of example Board. Governing member agency mission, this state pursue to 1991 in established a is Conservancy Mountains Valley Coachella The place. special this share we which with forms life other the all and recreational resources that make this such a splendid place for people B B B B B

6,500 acres to protect rare palm oases and habitat for an 9,000 acres9,000 CoachellaValleythe linking Preserve the in ital al f h ecpinl temie aia in habitat streamside exceptional the of all Virtually More than 2,500 acres in the Snow Creek area at the at area Creek Snow the in acres 2,500 than More Over 20,600 acres in the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto San and Rosa Santa the in acres 20,600 Over array ofthreatenedarray andendangered species. Indio HillswithJoshua Tree NationalPark. westerngateway totheCoachellaValley. scenic scenic, wildlife, protecting cultural, andrecreational resources. Monument, National Mountains Whitewater Canyon.

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Much has been accomplished, but much remains to be done. done. be to remains hi much four but Our accomplished, been has Much STILL TOBEDONE….. for strategies funding landacquisitionandsettingpriorities. implemented and developed also has land. The Conservancy of acres additional 200,000 than more of conservation the Coachella providesfor the Valleyand in development conservation area and balances which Plan, Conservation Habitat Species CONSERVANCY THE B B B B

Protect scenic,wildlife,recreational,and cultural resources in the long-term viability of the sand dune and other fragile fragile other and natural communities intheCoachellaValley. dune sand the of viability long-term Santa Rosa Mountains and the San Bernardino Mountains. corridors between major habitat areas such as the San Jacinto/ and itsassociated culturalresources. Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument. Protect and manage the shoreline of ancient Lake Cahuilla Conservecrucial“missing linkages” wildlifemovement or anan seta eooia poess o rtc the protect to processes ecological essential Maintain ghest priorities are: are: priorities ghest uhrd h CahlaVle Multiple Valley Coachella the authored

CAMERON BARROWS 5 CONSERVANCY P R O J E C T S

1 2 5 6 TVER ROB TAYlOR ROB TAYlOR BIll HA CAMERON BARRO SW BIll HAVERT BIll HAVERT M I S S I N G l I N k A G E WHITEWATER CANYON VAllEY FlOOR-CVFTl CATHTON­ Conservancy funded acquisitions Conservancy grants have helped MAP PRESERVE JOSHUA HIllS protect a critical wildlife movement acquire more than 700 acres along The Conservancy and its partners The Conservancy assembled a corridor linking the San Jacinto the Whitewater River. have acquired more than 6,500 $26 million funding partnership and San Bernardino Mountains. acres to protect sand dependent to acquire the 8,881 acre Cathton species that occur only in the property linking the Indio Hills Coachella Valley. with Joshua Tree National Park.

3 4 7 8 GEARY HUND GEARY BIll HAVERT BIll HAVERT BIll HAVERT BIll HAVERT BIll HAVERT A N D R E A S H I l l S NATIONAl MOUNTAIN SOUTHERN THERMAl CANYON The Andreas Hills acquisition INHOlDINGS SANTA ROSAS CORRIDOR provides a multi-use trail One of many acquisitions by the A Conservancy partnership acquired A current project focuses on opportunity. Conservancy and its partners in the 5,400 acres of pristine and increasingly protecting a wildlife movement Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains rare alluvial fan habitat. corridor linking the Mecca Hills National Monument protects scenic Wilderness with Joshua Tree and wildlife resources. National Park. MAP BY GEARY HUND GEARY MAP BY 6 7 8 . Those relaxation release the of made . . . . s e l b u o r t e d a m n a m f o d l r o w e h t m o r f e s a e l e r d n i f n o i t a x a l e r g n i k e e s e s o h T . . .

TOM BREWSTER RESOURCES E C R U O S E R E H T many unique specieshere.so support that hummocks and dunes the depend which on sand of supply the replenish to desert undevelopedthrough unimpeded Others depend on the ability of wind and water to continue to move Highwayand 62. 10 Interstate as obstacles such – under or across– their ability to move between mountain ranges, on navigating their depend way also species these of life. Many of web complex the in insects, hundredsthe and theywhich on plants of species of depend array falcons,an of other eagles,prairie lion,golden birds,reptiles,and Coachella the of Valley: deserts sheep,bighorn and mule deer, mountains bobcat, the gray fox, in ringtail, abounds mountain Wildlife Valley, from but thejobisfar finished,risk. and much remains at Coachella the in action conservation of more or century a reflects here granted for takewe lost.What been has what see to easy also it’sCalifornia, here. southern history Throughout long Americans’ Native the of legacy the and opportunities, recreational the vistas, wildlife,and heritage: places cultural wild the scenic astounding the EASY IT’S o ae o gatd h CahlaVle’ ntrl and Coachella Valley’s natural the granted for take to

JUPITER IMAGES rejuvenation, andsolitude. exercise,adventure, for pleasure, learning, relaxation, opportunities of array remarkable a offer Park State Jacinto San tram, Mount and aerial Preserves,Creek Mission Springs Palm Heritage and Park,Whitewater Canyons Indian Preserve, Valley Coachella Sea, Salton San and Monument, National JacintoMountains Rosa Joshua Tree Santa mountain-bikers,Park, National The skiers. equestrians, cross-country even backpackers,and birders, hikers, for pleasure NATURAl THE The scenic resources of the Coachella Valley speak for themselves. ra o te ocel vle afr recreational afford valley Coachella the of areas

ROB TAYlOR BIll HAVERT 9 lONG AGO, the Coachella Valley was an extension of the Gulf of California. G O V E R N I N G B O A R D Where the Colorado River emptied into the Gulf, it gradually built up a delta that City of Cathedral City cut the Imperial and Coachella Valleys off from the ocean.Then for millennia the Colorado alternated between filling the lower CoachellaValley and ImperialValley City of Desert Hot Springs area with an enormous fresh water lake, known as Lake Cahuilla, and emptying City of Indian Wells directly into the Gulf. Lake Cahuilla came and went,the river filling it for centuries City of la Quinta at a time, the desert air evaporating the lake in a matter of decades once the mighty City of Palm Desert river changed course.The Cahuilla and their ancestors enjoyed the bounty of the City of Palm Springs lake and the mountains, adapting to the comings and goings of the vast freshwater City of Rancho Mirage lake, while the mountains remained with their springs and creeks, canyons and County of Riverside oases, oaks and pinyons at the higher elevations, and the cornucopia of plants and Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians animals to provide food, fiber, medicine, and more.Throughout the area, the signs Assembly Appointee of their history here remain. Some are protected; some are not.This is a history as Governor ’s Appointee well as a living presence we do not want to lose. Senate Appointee California Department of Fish and Game O U R C O N S E R VAT I O N PA R T N E R S H I P California State Parks Department of Finance Resources Agency University of California Wildlife Conservation Board Bureau of land Management National Park Service United States Forest Service

S TA F F Executive Director Associate Director Staff Services Analyst

F R O N T & B A C k C O V E R B Y To m B re w s t e r

C R E AT I V E D E S I G N B Y Bill Havert, Geary Hund, kerrie Marshall Richard Palmersheim and Emma B. Reyna

BIll HAVERT © COACHEllA VAllEY MOUNTAINS CONSERVANCY Federal Agency . . . F o r t h o s e s e e k i n g b e a u t y , t h e D e s e r t o f f e r s n a t u r e ’ s r a r e s t a r t i s t r y . . . local Government BIll HAVERT Partners A P U B l I C AT I O N O F Non-profit Coachella Valley Partners State Agency Organization Partners Mountains Conservancy Partners D E S E R T P U B l I C AT I O N S I N C . 2 0 0 8 10 11 . . . T h i s i s t h e D e s e r t t h a t M e n a n d W o m e n L e a r n t o L o v e . ” Randall Henderson and J. Wilson Mckenney The Desert Sun, Vol. 1 No. 1, November 1937

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