Our Lands
Saving Wildlife One Acre at a Time!
PROTECTED
ACQUIRED
SAVED
Oswit Canyon
South Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, California
⚠️ PRIVATE PROPERTY with PUBLIC ACCESS:
✅ HOURS: DAWN - DUSK✅ STAY ON TRAIL AT ALL TIMES
❌ DO NOT DISTURB OR REMOVE WILDLIFE OR NATURAL RESOURCES
❌ NO DOGS
❌ NO BIKES
❌ NO DRONES
❌ NO SMOKING
❌ NO LOUD MUSIC OR NOISE
What is Oswit Canyon…?
Oswit Canyon is on S. Palm Canyon adjacent to the Canyon Heights neighborhood and the south trailhead for the S. Lykken Trail. It’s a spectacular canyon and home to endangered bighorn sheep, desert fox, bobcats, mountain lions, migratory birds, raptors and other wildlife. Although this canyon is wholly within the City of Palm Springs. Ask the hikers along the S. Lykken trail or those who know about Oswit Canyon. These two trails are known across the globe.
After a 3 year battle, the developer finally agreed to sell us the land if we can raise the funds by December 31, 2019. We’ gathered the majority of the funding needed from public funds, & fundraised the remaining one million dollars. This was a true public/private venture..
Save Oswit Canyon, Inc., a group of over 2,000 Palm Springs residents, created a Citizens Initiative to protect the Oswit Cone, which includes the entire canyon and alluvial fan.
Not one shovel’: Save Oswit Canyon completes $7.15M sale, land to be preserved and open to public.
Palm Hills
Above the Rimrock Vons shopping center in Palm Springs, California
⚠️ PRIVATE PROPERTY with PUBLIC ACCESS:
✅ HOURS: DAWN - DUSK✅ STAY ON TRAIL AT ALL TIMES
❌ DO NOT DISTURB OR REMOVE WILDLIFE OR NATURAL RESOURCES
❌ NO DOGS
❌ NO E-BIKES OR MOTORIZED VEHICLES
❌ NO DRONES
❌ NO SMOKING
❌ NO LOUD MUSIC OR NOISE
A Moment of Pride.
We are proud we were able to facilitate this purchase and protect this spectacular land forever. It would have been a tragedy to lose this critical habitat, popular hiking area and the important wildlife corridor to development. With the help of our supporters, we will be good stewards of this land.
Jim Karpiak, Executive Director of the Coachella Valley Mountains Conservancy said, “This acquisition is truly a dream come true for a generation of conservationists. It ensures that this large area remains in its natural state forever to support our endangered species, protect flows into the aquifer and provide options for outdoor recreation for future generations of Coachella Valley residents and visitors.”
"This acquisition is truly a dream come true for a generation of conservationists. It ensures that this large area remains in its natural state forever to support our endangered species, protect flows into the aquifer and provide options for outdoor recreation for future generations of Coachella Valley residents and visitors.”
It Takes A Village
“This acquisition demonstrates what can be achieved when partners come together to protect our scenic desert and ensure that threatened and endangered species can thrive,” said La Quinta Mayor Linda Evans, Chair of the Coachella Valley Conservation Commission. “We’re pleased to have worked with the Coachella Valley Mountains Conservancy and Oswit Land Trust on this land deal and look forward to working with them to maintain the desert and trails long term. Residents and visitors alike will benefit from this for generations to come.”
Prescott Preserve
In the heart of Palm Springs between Sunrise & El Cielo.
⚠️ PRIVATE PROPERTY with PUBLIC ACCESS:
✅ HOURS: SUNRISE - SUNSET✅ STAY ON TRAIL AT ALL TIMES
✅ LEASHED DOGS ALLOWED ONLY ON MULTI-USE PATH CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO
✅ BIKES ALLOWED ONLY ON MULTI-USE PATH CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO
❌ DO NOT DISTURB OR REMOVE WILDLIFE OR NATURAL RESOURCES
❌ NO DRONES
❌ NO SMOKING
❌ NO LOUD MUSIC OR NOISE
An incredible act of generosity.
The Prescott Foundation decided to purchase the more than 100 acre Mesquite Golf Course and donate it to Oswit Land Trust so that we can begin turning our vision into a reality. The new name, Prescott Preserve, will honor and recognize the Prescott Foundation’s chair and president, Brad Prescott. Brad’s compassion, selflessness and generosity through this donation will leave a historical mark on Palm Springs and surrounding communities.
Prescott Preserve, when completed, will be lush with native plants and trees and will be a spectacular place for both humans and wildlife. It will include a large butterfly garden, a native celebration garden to honor and remember loved ones, designated bird watching areas, floats for migratory birds, educational signage, walking paths and more!
We will immediately begin applying for grants to plan and create the preserve. Existing golf cart paths will remain open to pedestrian traffic and leashed dogs during the planning and creating phase. The project starts with a full biological assessment of the property, followed shortly by the creation of a proposed map of the preserve that will be shared with the public.
I have always wanted to save land. When I met Jane and was introduced to Oswit Land Trust, I finally found a way that I could make my interest in saving land become a reality. Jane took me on a bike ride to show me the golf course properties and I immediately saw her vision. It will be incredible to see a beautiful nature preserve instead of construction and more houses.
Mesquite Ridge
Base of the San Jacinto Mountains, at the end of Mesquite Avenue.
⚠️ PRIVATE PROPERTY with PUBLIC ACCESS:
✅ HOURS: DAWN - DUSK✅ STAY ON TRAIL AT ALL TIMES
❌ DO NOT DISTURB OR REMOVE WILDLIFE OR NATURAL RESOURCES
❌ NO DOGS
❌ NO BIKES
❌ NO DRONES
❌ NO SMOKING
❌ NO LOUD MUSIC OR NOISE
Critically important for our community.
Nearly 4 years ago, we saw a “for sale” sign posted on a 30 acre property adjacent to the popular South Lykken hiking trail at the end of Mesquite Ave. The property was being marketed to build 95 condos or a hotel. We believed it was an important piece of property to get into conservation to retain the peace and tranquility of the South Lykken trail. Further research revealed that nearly half a mile of the Lykken trail went through this privately owned property that was slated for development.
For the Mesquite Ridge Acquisition Project, we partnered with Trust for Public Land (TPL) and the Coachella Valley Mountains Conservancy (CVMC) to secure funding through two government programs: the California Natural Resources Agency’s EEMP grant and the US Fish & Wildlife Service’s section 6 grant, administered thorough the state’s Wildlife Conservation Board. We also received assistance from one of our incredibly generous donors to fill the gap of the funding needed.
Mesquite Ridge may not be as large as some of our other recently acquired properties, but it is critically important for our community. We have protected the beloved and popular South Lykken trail and secured wildlife habitat as the icing on the cake!
"This property may not be as large as some of the others we have recently acquired, but it is critically important for our community. We have protected the beloved and popular South Lykken Trail and secured wildlife habitat as the icing on the cake!"
Alphabet Farms Ranch A
Imperial County, CA
Our first conservation project of agricultural land
Alphabet Farms Ranch A is 1,888 acres of productive farmland in Imperial County, CA. With Oswit Land Trust holding the agricultural conservation easement (ACE) the land is protected from destruction and development in perpetuity. This is Oswit Land Trust first conservation easement and our first conservation project of agricultural land. This is a joint project of Oswit Land Trust and Trust for Public Land.
The property is in Audubon’s Imperial Valley Globally Important Bird Area (IBA), the largest IBA in California and the nearby Salton Sea is one of the most important nesting sites and stopovers along the Pacific Flyway. The irrigation canals that crisscross Imperial Valley and border parcels of Ranch A are classified as riverine wetlands and provide important habitat. Burrowing owls (CA Species of Special Concern), Yuma clapper rails (federally endangered), and California black rails (CA threatened species) are known to use these canals. Dozens of birds including several species of raptor and the charismatic sandhill cranes were seen taking advantage of the unique resources provided by the agricultural lands.
"The property is in Audubon’s Imperial Valley Globally Important Bird Area (IBA), the largest IBA in California and the nearby Salton Sea is one of the most important nesting sites and stopovers along the Pacific Flyway."
