Coachella Valley Mountains Conservancy Awards Over $2M in Conservation Funds

PALM DESERT (CNS) - The Coachella Valley Mountains Conservancy awarded
more than $2 million in grant funding to protect an endangered species and
wildlife connectivity, it was announced Thursday.
  

``These projects reflect the conservancy's commitment to collaborative
science-based conservation that benefits both wildlife and local
communities,'' CVMC Executive Director Elizabeth King said. ``We are proud to
support our regional partners in advancing innovative solutions for habitat
protection, climate resilience and species conservation.''
  

In a board meeting on May 11, board members approved of three grants
through Proposition 1 and Proposition 4 funding programs.
  

Two institutions received funding to study and support sustainability
efforts for the endangered desert pupfish. A grant of $695,751 went to the
Center for Natural Lands Management for its Groundwater-Surface Water
Monitoring project. This project aims to study why portions of the Simone Pond
have been drying over the past two years, with the information expected to help
maintain habit for the species at the Thousand Palms Oasis Preserve.
  

The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens received a conditional grant of up
to $863,450 for the Desert Pupfish Conservation Refugia project on land owned
by the Torres-Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians. This project will evaluate
methods to establish sustainable refuge habitat and restore functionality to
former wetland cells that has conveyed water between the Whitewater River and
the Salton Sea ecosystem, officials said.
  

The board has approved a grant of $512,000 through Proposition 4 local
assistance planning grant to Mojave Desert Land Trust for its state Route
62 wildlife crossing project, which aims to advance planning for two wildlife
crossings across state Route 62, a busy corridor from the Coachella Valley to
Joshua Tree National Park. Organizers said the project is crucial for public
and animal safety, as documented deaths of bighorn sheep and mountain lions
have been reported along the highway corridor.
  

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