Trust for Public Land Helps Protect Nearly 1,500 Acres of Caliente Creek

Today, Trust for Public Land and our partners the Mojave Desert Land Trust announce the protection of 1,440 acres of Caliente Creek. 

Caliente Creek is an important landscape not only for habitat restoration and scientific research, but holds potential for increased public access benefits for surrounding communities. The land is currently leased for cattle grazing, and future grazing opportunities are being considered under a sustainable grazing management plan. 

“Caliente Creek holds incredible value not only as a biological hotspot for wildlife like the endangered California Condor to thrive, but offers surrounding communities the opportunity to connect with nature through appropriate public access,” said Alex Size, Southern California Conservation Director for Trust for Public Land. “We’re proud to have worked with the Mojave Desert Land Trust to connect more Californians to this significant landscape.” 

The Caliente Creek property, comprised of three parcels totaling approximately 1,440 acres, is bound by the Piute Mountains on the East and the Sierra Nevada and Scodie Mountains on the North. The property includes rolling, oak-studded hills within the upper Caliente Creek watershed with elevations between 3,500 and 4,600 feet. Trust for Public Land recently donated the property to the Mojave Desert Land Trust who will manage the site for habitat restoration, scientific research, and future public access benefits. 

“Mojave Desert Land Trust is pleased to add this new acquisition to our long-term conservation lands. It serves as a key habitat linkage between the desert and the mountains and contains an important water source for wildlife. We thank Trust for Public land for securing this property for permanent protection and we look forward to working with them on future conservation projects,” said Cody Hanford, Joint Executive Director for Mojave Desert Land Trust. 

With the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail less than 1.5 miles to the east, a connecting trail to Caliente Creek could be part of the long-term plan for the area. Adding a connection to the iconic PCT would bring an economic lift for the local community of Twin Oaks with increased thru-hikers and nature lovers looking to connect to the benefits of trails and explore this wilderness area. 

The Caliente Creek property offers significant conservation value as it’s located in the Bureau of Land Management’s designated Tehachapi Linkage intended to preserve wildlife connections between the Sierra Nevada mountains and the Transverse Ranges. The property is also part of California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Canebrake Conceptual Area Protection Plan intended to protect high biodiversity due to a low elevation mountain pass favored by migratory birds, as well as the endangered California condor. 

About Trust for Public Land 

Trust for Public Land (TPL) is a national nonprofit that works to connect everyone to the benefits and joys of the outdoors. As a leader in equitable access to the outdoors, TPL works with communities to create parks and protect public land where they are needed most. Since 1972, TPL has protected more than 3 million acres of public land, created more than 5,000 parks, trails, schoolyards, and iconic outdoor places, raised $84 billion in public funding for parks and public lands, and connected more than 9 million people to the outdoors. To learn more, visit tpl.org. 

About the Mojave Desert Land Trust 

The Mojave Desert Land Trust (MDLT) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with the mission to protect and care for lands with natural, scenic, and cultural value within the Mojave Desert. Since its founding in 2006 the land trust has conserved over 120,000 acres, conveying more tracts of land to the National Park Service in the last decade than any other organization. In addition to acquiring land, the land trust established a seed bank to ensure the preservation of native species. MDLT operates an onsite nursery at its Joshua Tree headquarters which propagates native species for ecosystem restoration. MDLT educates and advocates for the conservation of the desert, involving hundreds of volunteers in our work. For more information, visit mdlt.org.