A 60,000 Acre Legacy for the Coachella Valley

Meet Uma. She’s a Coachella Valley fringe-toed lizard (Uma inornata) - as you might be able to guess by her common name, these amazing animals are only found here in the Coachella Valley and nowhere else on Earth! For untold generations her ancestors thrived here in the desert, swimming through the sand, basking in the sun, and making little baby lizards. Fringe-toed lizards are perfectly adapted to life on the sand dunes that once covered the valley floor. They have fringed toes that allow them run across sand as fast as a runner on a track. Their noses are shovel-shaped so that they can actually dive under the sand to escape predators. They even have a “third eye” on top of their head that allows them to see light and dark while they sit just below the surface of the sand.

Uma needs sand to survive: the adaptations that allow her to thrive on the dunes become liabilities elsewhere. In the 1970's and 80's, as the Coachella Valley started to develop and sand dunes were converted to golf courses, these unique creatures were threatened with extinction.

Tragically, less than 4% of Uma's original home remains intact today. The rest has been lost to development.

Formed in 1987, Friends of the Desert Mountains helped save Uma and her fellow fringe-toed lizards before they disappeared forever. We contributed to a plan that protects the open space Uma needs to survive, and at the same time encourages responsible development and a thriving local economy.

The Coachella Valley Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan protects dozens of unique, threatened, and endangered plants and animals that, like Uma, are found only in the Coachella Valley and nowhere else on Earth. To date, we’ve acquired more than 60,000 acres of desert, mountains, canyons, and woodlands within the plan area.

Continue reading to see a few of the scenic views, hiking trails, and unique plants and animals we have helped protect. Discover the breathtaking mountain views and unique wild spaces that surround us here in the Coachella Valley!

In this animated map areas in green represent land acquisitions in the Coachella Valley by Friends of the Desert Mountains and other conservation partners within the boundaries of the Coachella Valley Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan.

The 60,000 acres acquired by Friends represent a lasting legacy for the Coachella Valley, protecting our spectacular mountain views, unique wildlife, and world class recreational trails now and for generations to come.

You can be a part of that legacy by  becoming a volunteer  with Friends of the Desert Mountains or making a donation on our website. There are still more than 140,000 acres left to acquire in the plan area: more scenic views to preserve, wildlife to protect, and trails to sustain. Thank you for your support!

• Story, maps and map animation - Sendy Hernández Orellana Barrows, Acquisitions Coordinator
• Story, photos, and video - Colin Barrows, Conservation Coordinator
• Acquisition data - Oscar Vizcarra, Coachella Valley Association of Governments
• Historic aerial imagery - University of California Regents
• Satellite and map data - ESRI