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. And construction will soon start on an innovative, $1.85 billion lithium extraction and geothermal power plant at the dusty southern edge of the Salton Sea, expected to produce 25,000 metric tons of commercial-grade lithium hydroxide each year, enough for approximately 415,000 electric vehicle batteries.

Join Biodiversity Funders Group, Climate and Energy Funders Group and partners for a three day visit to 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, December 2 in Indio, CA and conclude after breakfast on Thursday, December 5.