Transition Habitat Conservancy

Transition Habitat Conservancy A non-profit conservation organization located in the West Mojave Desert. Caring for the land goes beyond acquisition. Come out and visit us someday!

We utilize many tools and methods to steward the land so that it can be healthy and resilient into the future. In 2005 some women riding on their horses in Pinon Hills, California spoke about the wonderful natural paradise they were riding and hiking through. Concerned that urban development would soon destroy that that playground, they decided to unite and preserve the unique pinyon-juniper and J

oshua tree woodland. As a result of this, and the desire of the community to create parks and preserve open space, Transition Habitat Conservancy began. Since then, we have established project areas within San Bernardino and Los Angeles Counties, and have worked diligently to protect and improve habitat in the West Mojave. Pinon Hills has its own reserve now available to hikers and horseback riders but closed to motorized vehicles.

08/08/2026

Rare sighting of a bear at Portal Ridge Wildlife Preserve.

08/08/2026

Caught on our trail cam by Dan Potter

We're doubling down.Last weekend our neighbors Eastman Livestock moved 25 cattle to mitigate wildfire.At Transition Habi...
08/06/2026

We're doubling down.

Last weekend our neighbors Eastman Livestock moved 25 cattle to mitigate wildfire.

At Transition Habitat Conservancy, we're always looking for natural, sustainable wavs to care for the land. One of the biggest challenges we face is the rapid spread of dry, highly flammable grasses that overtake the desert each year. These invasive plants not only crowd out native species but also create dangerous fuel loads in an area known for its strong, unpredictable winds--a combination that dramatically increases wildfire risk

To help address this problem safely and sustainably, we worked with Eastman Livestock and introduced 25 cattle to graze across our landscape.

Want to learn more? Checkout our blog: https://www.transitionhabitat.org/blog/grazing-cows-to-reduce-fire-hazards-controlling-invasive-species

We just wrapped up our Western Joshua Tree (WJT) seed collection event! It was so great to connect with these passionate...
08/01/2026

We just wrapped up our Western Joshua Tree (WJT) seed collection event! It was so great to connect with these passionate volunteers, and we already look forward to our next volunteer event.

Our team headed out this Saturday accompanied by 10 volunteers who RSVP'd in advance.

We were effectively collecting WJT seeds, taking just 10% from select Joshua trees to send to the CDFW for seed banking and restoration. The more trees we collect from, the more genetic diversity we preserve!

Historically, it’s thought that this seed dispersal task was handled by giant Shasta ground sloths. We like to call ourselves the new Shasta Sloth army, haha! 🦥🌵

🗓️ Want to join the army? We host volunteer opportunities on the first Saturday of every month! Follow us here and sign up for our newsletter to get your exclusive invites.

transitionhabitat.org/volunteer-with-us

Our team is heading out for Western Joshua Tree (WJT) seed collection this Saturday, accompanied by 10 volenteers who RS...
07/30/2026

Our team is heading out for Western Joshua Tree (WJT) seed collection this Saturday, accompanied by 10 volenteers who RSVP'd in advance (it filled up fast!).

Also joining us includes:
Community Partners of Antelope Valley
Seeds Of Succession

This work is being conducted under permit with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) for their WJT Conservation Act work.

The collections pictured above took place in our Puma Canyon Ecological Reserve and our West Mojave Wildlife Management Area (Fremont-Kramer region).

07/21/2026

Milkweed!

Urban Conservation Corps supports Transition Habitat Conservancy with conservation efforts as a part of their youth training.

Youth 18-27 can get involved with UCC to gain experience for a career in conservation.

In this video, UCC helped support THC with 2 grants:

➤ IECF managing pinyon pines affected by the bark beetle (fuel mitigation) 🔥
➤National Fish and Wildlife Foundation managing milkweed to improve the monarch butterfly habitat 🦋

THC welcomes volunteers of all ages! Stay in touch for more volenteer opportunities.

Also, consider donating to THC to support our conservation efforts.

https://www.transitionhabitat.org/donate

June Staff Update: Our Transition Habitat Conservancy team had a busy month! Here’s a quick look at what we’ve been up t...
07/20/2026

June Staff Update:

Our Transition Habitat Conservancy team had a busy month! Here’s a quick look at what we’ve been up to:

Fire Safety: Completed annual fire training and prescribed fire exercises.

Wildlife Data: Conducted Mojave Ground Squirrel training and collected sheep grazing data.

Joshua Trees: prepared for western Joshua tree seed collection project, trained bio techs, and scouted collection sites.

Restoration: Led site cleanups, mulching, and habitat restoration efforts.

Outreach: Published our Spring Newsletter and continued work on the Junior Naturalist Handbook.

Want the full story behind these field updates?

(See the link in the first comment to sign up for our newsletter)

Daytime Lions📸 Recent Trail Cam by Dan Potter
07/17/2026

Daytime Lions

📸 Recent Trail Cam by Dan Potter

07/13/2026

Who are Star Creek Land Stewards?

Star Creek Land Stewards is a woman-owned, targeted grazing outfit, using sheep & goats to perform carefully-managed vegetation management throughout California.

Star Creek Land Stewards is now performing land stewardship projects throughout California spanning into the Bay Area, Sacramento, Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, San Mateo, Marin, Placer, Monterey, Alameda and Contra Costa Counties and beyond.

Matthew manages projects, assists with mapping, conducts pre/post grazing site visits, and offers rangeland management and prescribed fire consulting services.

Many years ago, I wandered back into a side canyon below the RDDC and discovered 5 or 6 milkweeds.Wanting to get them on...
07/12/2026

Many years ago, I wandered back into a side canyon below the RDDC and discovered 5 or 6 milkweeds.

Wanting to get them on our inventory, I described the location to Wendie so she could check them out and add them to the database.

Unfortunatelv, she had to go back to Alaska before she or I had a chance to look for them.

Last week, I visited the area to see if they were still there and I did find those original milkweed.

Then I found another and another and another; 14 more plants to add to our inventory!

They were quite robust being in a protected canyon, but I had to stop looking for more because the sun went down on me.

Poppy and I made our wav out as the stars were coming out.

She could not figure out why we were out so late and promptly fell asleep when we got home.

-Wendy Walker

Address

1681 Hillview Road #721300
Piñon Hills, CA
92372

Website

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