Success in the States— How Renewable Energy, Conservation, and Tribal Leadership are working together in the California Desert

Join climate and conservation funders to learn from successful collaborative examples on the ground, while exploring potential paths forward in this challenging political environment.

Hosted by Biodiversity Funders Group and Climate and Energy Funders Group, this funder field trip to the Southern California desert will explore this intersection of renewable energy, conservation, and Tribal co-management by visiting key sites, hiking through important desert landscapes, and hearing from local leaders. We will start with dinner on Monday, February 3 and conclude early afternoon on Wednesday, February 5.

The Southern California Desert is the focus for several important issues related to climate change and conservation- many of which are braided together across two distinct desert landscapes. There are two active National Monument proposals Chuckwalla and Kw’tsán with significant support from local Tribes and community groups, and would add additional public land designations to nearby Joshua Tree National Park. The Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan (DRECP) is an innovative landscape-level plan that streamlines renewable energy development, conserves valuable desert ecosystems and provides outdoor recreation opportunities, while supporting the State’s effort to achieve 50 percent renewable energy generation by 2030.