PRESS RELEASE – For Immediate Release
June 16, 2011
Media Contact:
Kimberly Bowers
760-366-5440
kimberly@mojavedesertlandtrust.org
New Interpretive Sign Erected at Poste Homestead to Discourage Incompatible Uses of a Historical and Natural Area
Joshua Tree, CA – Mojave Desert Land Trust (MDLT) recently contributed funds toward the production of a 48” x 48” interpretive sign at the Poste Homestead, in hopes of educating outdoor enthusiasts on the historical and natural values of the area, and discouraging further damage to the site. The Poste Homestead is located in Wonder Valley, within a BLM “limited use area”.
The Poste Homestead was dedicated as a Historical and Natural Area in November 2008 by the BLM and several community organizations, including Mojave Desert Land Trust, 29 Palms Historical Society, Community ORV Watch and Morongo Basin Conservation Association, all of whom wanted to recognize the importance of the area’s cultural and resource values. The Poste Homestead contains the adobe ruins of a 1923 homestead occupied by local historical figures David and Anna Poste, owners and operators of the Virginia Dale Mine. The area is also famous for its magnificent wildflower displays and expanse of sand dunes, which provide important habitat for a variety of desert creatures.
Volunteers in Wonder Valley have been stewarding the Poste Homestead Area through monitoring, restoration, and clean-up activities. These efforts have been instrumental to the protection of this area; however, the site was illegally impacted over Memorial Day Weekend, causing damage to sensitive wildlife habitat, including sand dunes which are home to the Mojave Fringe-toed Lizard. In response to the disturbance, Community ORV Watch campaigned for support to create interpretive signage that would help discourage incompatible uses of the area.
View of the sand dunes in the Poste Homestead Area
Community ORV Watch (COW) is a non-profit organization, whose members include residents, property owners, and supporters in the Morongo Basin. COW coordinated the efforts for the large 48” x 48” interpretive sign that was placed on a kiosk owned by the BLM on the Poste Homestead property. Volunteers designed and erected the sign, while Mojave Desert Land Trust and an anonymous donor provided funding to cover production costs. “Mojave Desert Land Trust is happy to support a project that will educate outdoor enthusiasts to the proper uses of a sensitive and historic site,” said Nancy Karl, Executive Director of the Land Trust.
The new interpretive sign in the Poste Homestead Area
The Poste Homestead Natural and Historical Area is located off of Chadwick Road between Amboy Road and Highway 62 in Wonder Valley. For more information on the Poste Homestead Area, please visit Twentynine Palms Historical Society at www.29palmshistorical.com or call 760-367-2366. For more information on Mojave Desert Land Trust, please visit www.mojavedesertlandtrust.org or call 760-366-5440.
