The Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center is celebrating the designation of the Mojave Desert Sentinel Landscape (MDSL), the first designation in the state of California. Today, the Sentinel Landscapes Partnership, founded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Department of Defense (DOD), Department of the Interior (DOI), announced the designation of five new sentinel landscapes, which includes the MDSL.

"The Sentinel Landscapes Partnership provides DOD with the unique opportunity to expand and diversify our partnerships with non-governmental organizations, state and local governments, Tribes and land managers to enhance the resilience of military installations and the local communities that support them," said Brendan Owens, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Energy, Installations and Environment. "This year, the Department is excited to support the five newly designated landscapes in achieving their dual priorities of safeguarding national defense and enhancing installation and community resilience, particularly in the Pacific and Western regions.”

The MDSL stretches from Ridgecrest to the Morongo Basin and encompasses more than 3.5 million acres. The area is home to five military installations, multi-use public lands, private agriculture producers, recreation lands, and dozens of listed species such as the Mojave Desert tortoise. The combat center is proud to partner with other military installations that call the Mojave Desert home, along with other federal, state, tribal, and local partners to strive towards a more sustainable future.

For more information about the Sentinel Landscapes Partnership’s mission and accomplishments, please go to sentinellandscapes.org