For Immediate Use                                                                                                  Contact: Reed Tollefson, (760) 378-2531
February 3, 2012                                                                                                                             rtollefson@audubon.org

Important Migratory Pathways Preserved

Weldon, CA – Audubon with our partners protected Sage and Horse Canyon critical “stepping stones” in the Pacific Flyway for spring migrating birds as they battle to cross the arid Mojave Desert on their way to the Southern Sierra Nevada Mountains.

In late 2011 Audubon partnered with the Mojave Desert Land Trust to purchase 1,341 acres from a willing seller. This effort protects the riparian corridor and Joshua tree/creosote uplands that line Sage and Horse Canyons on the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada. These lands will be conveyed to the Bureau of Land Management for inclusion in the surrounding Kiavah Wilderness Area where they will remain protected in perpetuity.

The importance of Eastern Sierra Canyons for desert wildlife and migratory birds is amazing. Each spring hundreds of thousands of birds from the interior corridor of the Pacific Flyway travel up these canyons into the Sierra Nevada and their breeding grounds beyond. Horse and Sage Canyon are surrounded by magnificent volcanic tuff and granite canyons and are home to many species of reptiles and mammals as well as the nesting grounds for desert birds such as Le Conte's Thrasher and Sage Sparrow. Audubon is proud to have worked with Mojave Desert Land Trust to protect this important desert ecosystem for the benefit of wildlife and people.