Transition Habitat Conservancy is now part of the University of California Agricultural and Natural Resources California Naturalist program! We are hosting and teaching a new class, “Introduction to the Mojave Desert,” where our 29 students are learning all about geology, water resources, plants, animals, and more in our very own backyard. Our class began on 03/03/2025 and will run until 4/30/2025. We will finish the class with a graduation and open house in downtown Wrightwood on 5/3/2025 at the Arts Center with our partners, Drawing Together.
This event will also celebrate THC’s 20th anniversary as a major, local, grass-roots force in Mojave Desert conservation. Our story began in Pinon Hills with three women who loved to ride their horses and were concerned about development in the foothills. Fast-forward 20 years, and we have eight employees and own and manage nearly 12,000 acres in the Western Mojave Desert.
The public is invited to attend this art exhibit celebration and can register here.
Our new class is for adults and currently ranges from those in their 20s to their 70s. All experience levels are welcome. The class is taught at a college level but is available on Zoom during weekday evenings. In-person field trips are offered on Saturdays. We plan to teach this class each spring, and those interested are encouraged to sign up on the waitlist now, as this class fills up fast! We already have 10 students signed up for the next course; the maximum is 20.
The students experienced their first field trip at the beginning of March, in the very location that our Conservancy started, Puma Canyon Ecological Reserve. They were greeted by staff at our office and led on a guided nature hike of the Reserve by Wendy Walker and Sarah Berryman (myself).
We investigated the geological history of the area, topography, plant life, and animal species we protect at the Reserve and also took digital observation on the app iNaturalist, a community-science-led database that benefits research and the public. Some students brought their families and enjoyed the hike with their spouses and children.
We then relaxed at the Roberta Dewey Discovery Center in the Reserve and had snacks and refreshments along with nature journaling instruction from Wendy Walker and artist Shannon LaBounty. Shannon came with journals and art supplies for everyone and taught us not to be afraid of watercolor!
Our Arts and Advocacy grant from the Conservation Lands Foundation paid her time. Our partners in this grant at Drawing Together help us to bring these amazing artists on to benefit their communities. The students will also conduct stewardship projects to graduate with their naturalist certificate. Many of them will directly benefit our Tri-Community area with their projects, while those living further away will directly benefit their local communities.
We are set to attend three more field trips together: the Freemont-Kramer region near Barstow, Portal Ridge Wildlife Preserve, and the Mojave Narrows, where Friends of the Mojave Narrows will lead us on a guided bird-watching tour.
If this sounds like a class you would like to participate in, register for our waitlist here!
