Physical Description: The Coachella Valley Preserve is actually a preserve system, including three separate units, totaling over 20,000 acres. The goal in establishing three separate preserves was to insure that three separate desert sand dune ecosystems, each with separate sand sources and processes, were fully protected, giving us insurance that even if disaster strikes at one of these preserves, adequate habitat will still be protected within the valley. The largest of these units, at roughly 17,000 acres, is centered on Thousand Palms Canyon which cuts through the Indio Hills, bordering on the northern edge of the Coachella Valley, half way between Palm Springs and Indio. This preserve ranges from near sea level at its southern extreme to over 1000 feet in the Indio Hills. The other two preserve units occur at the western end of the valley, north of Palm Springs.

Conservation Purpose: The Coachella Valley Preserve system was designed to protect an endemic, threatened animal, the Coachella Valley fringe-toed lizard, Uma inornata. Found nowhere else in the world, this lizard is an indicator for a rich array of organisms specialized to live on sand dunes, and for many of them, equally restricted and threatened in their distribution. In fact, desert sand dunes harbor one of the most species rich communities found in our southwestern deserts, with many of the dune systems including various unique species found only on those dunes.

The Coachella Valley was once dominated by nearly 100 square miles of sand dunes; today there is fewer than 5% of that habitat remaining in viable condition. Over the years, the lure of mild winter temperatures and beautiful scenery has resulted in an explosion of human development. As canyons filled with houses, development pushed into the valley's center, blocking the vital sand movement processes the keep the dunes alive. Today the majority of the remaining, viable dune habitat is contained in the Coachella Valley Preserve system.

Habitat Types: The focus of the preserve system is the protection of the desert sand dunes, but to accomplish that, sand source areas and sand movement corridors also need to be protected. To protect the entire dune ecosystem, several additional habitats were included. These additional habitats are creosote bush scrub, mesquite hummocks, and eleven different palm oases. It is the palm oases that lure the many visitors to the Coachella Valley Preserve every year. These verdant, lush habitat islands, often with pools of water or small streams, are in stark contrast to the otherwise sere brown desert. The fragile dunes are protected from un-guided access, but the palm oases are all available to explore.

Research Projects: The preserve offers many opportunities to investigate the intricacies of sand dune ecology and the long term success of the preserve in protecting that ecosystem. Current on-going research includes:

Dietary Patterns and Reproductive Success in the Fringe-toed Lizard. By examining the lizard's diet (through examination of their fecal "scats") and annual productivity, we can determine what factors are most important in determining their reproductive success, and population viability.

Patterns Sand Dune Species Richness. Not all sand dunes within the Coachella Valley are equal when it comes to the number and viability of species they support. What factors affect this species distribution patterns? What lessons can be learned for designing habitat protection programs that maximize conservation value and hopefully minimize protection costs.

How to Restore Desert Dunes. Most people try to determine how to "tame" dunes to make them better places for people to live and farm, but how do we take abandoned fam lands and return them back into dunes? What can we do to accelerate the natural restoration process? What species serve as the best indicators for successfully restoring the dune habitat - how do we measure success?

What is the Effect of the Introduced Saharan Mustard and can it be Controlled? Brassica tournefortii is a fairly recent exotic colonist to the dunes. In some years it completely dominated the annual, herbaceous vegetation, but what are its impacts on the native, endemic dune animals? If it has a deleterious impact, how can it be controlled?

Formation and History: The Coachella Valley Preserve was established through a Habitat Conservation Plan (one of the first HCPs ever implemented) to protect the federally Threatened, Coachella Valley fringe-toed lizard. The lizard was listed in 1980, but it wasn't until April of 1986 that the preserve system was officially dedicated. It was a two year (begun in 1984) process of study, planning and negotiation that involved the nine cities, Riverside County, the USFWS, CDFG and The Nature Conservancy. Currently a multiple species planning and protection effort is underway that would dramatically expand and enhance the security and viability of the preserve system.

Management: The preserve system has been managed collectively by the agencies that own land within the preserves. This includes the USFWS, BLM, CDFG, CDPR and the Nature Conservancy. In 1997 The Nature Conservancy decided to transfer their ownership and management responsibilities so that they could focus their resources on protecting endangered landscapes elsewhere. Because of the on-going sensitive management, research and protection issues, along with the need for maintaining a positive cooperative spirit within the preserve management agencies, they selected the Center for Natural Lands Management to continue and expand upon TNC's role in the protection and management of the Coachella Valley preserve system.

Volunteer Opportunities: In Thousand Palms Canyon the preserve maintains a rustic, 60 year old visitor center. The center is staffed entirely by volunteer docents who greet visitors, prepare new displays, lead hikes and help maintain trails. We are always looking for new, energetic volunteers.

Manager: Both CNLM and the USFWS hire staff to manage the various facets of the preserve and actively participate in regional conservation planning aimed at enhancing the preserve's protection. The CNLM manager serves as the Preserve Director, plans and implements much of the research and management activities, supervises the volunteer docent program, and responds to daily public inquiries.

For information and inquiries please contact:

Ginny Short
Preserve Manager
P.O. Box 188
Thousand Palms, CA 92276
(760) 343-1234 Phone
e-mail: gshort@cnlm.org