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| Coachella Valley Preserve |
| Conservation Purpose The Coachella Valley Preserve system was designed to protect an endemic, threatened animal, the Coachella Valley fringe-toed lizard, (Uma inornata). Found nowhere else in the world, this lizard is an indicator for a rich array of organisms specialized to live on sand dunes, and for many of them, equally restricted and threatened in their distribution. In fact, desert sand dunes harbor one of the most species rich communities found in our southwestern deserts, with many of the dune systems including various unique species found only on those dunes. The Coachella Valley was once dominated by nearly 100 square miles of sand dunes; today there is fewer than 5% of that habitat remaining in viable condition. Over the years, the lure of mild winter temperatures and beautiful scenery has resulted in an explosion of human development. As canyons filled with houses, development pushed into the valley's center, blocking the vital sand movement processes the keep the dunes alive. Today the majority of the remaining, viable dune habitat is contained in the Coachella Valley Preserve system. |