Our California deserts need your help! California desert communities and ecosystems are at risk due to the ongoing climate crisis and harmful development leading to loss of nature.
As our desert lands continue to be overdeveloped, we are losing nature and releasing carbon stored underground for millennia. All of this is accelerating the impacts of climate change and pollution in our communities, and disconnecting people from the benefits of nature.
Desert communities are already being squeezed by the climate crisis, air pollution, and overdevelopment with more expected challenges to come, as more mega-warehouses are built in the region which brings in an influx of transportation pollution from shipments around the communities. Low-income communities and communities of color are most at risk for developing long-term health impacts from this, like asthma and cancer.
Loss of nature also harms the expansive desert biodiversity. The region’s ecosystem is home to an important habitat that approximately 95% of birds use along the Pacific flyway, making this area a migratory stopover. This desert is also home to many endangered species including the desert bighorn sheep, desert tortoise, and the chuckwalla lizard.
Right now, we have a chance to join local voices from desert communities to ask President Biden to designate the protection of these lands bringing benefits to both communities and wildlife. We can fight to secure protections for the 677,000 acres of desert land ranging from the Coachella Valley region to the Colorado River. This land is right next to the Joshua Tree National Park and protecting it will not only expand the park’s boundaries but protect important nature surrounding it.
Help us get President Biden’s attention and make this proposed national monument a reality.
Take action today -- Ask President Biden to designate Chuckwalla National Monument and expand Joshua Tree National Park!