Native American Land Conservancy Coordinates Visits to Sacred Sites For Pass Area Students

BANNING, CA — Working alongside Coachella Valley tribes, a Banning-based nonprofit is bolstering efforts to raise awareness among youth about the historical importance and the need to preserve ancestral lands throughout the region.

The Native American Land Conservancy's "Native Youth Ambassador Program" focuses on turning adolescents into "ambassadors" with expertise on landscapes linked to area tribes for centuries.

"This program will provide young people around California with opportunities to explore ancient land and gain knowledge on its cultural significance, as well as on the necessary steps to support biodiversity, climate resilience and protect cultural connections," NALC Executive Director Robert Przeklasa said.

Among those active in the ambassador program are members of the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indian Tribe in Thermal.

In April, tribal volunteers, along with NALC staff, traveled with youth ambassadors to Bonanza Spring at the Mojave Trails National Monument in the southeastern Mojave Desert, near Amboy in southern San Bernardino County.

While hiking in the foothills within the 1,000-square-mile area, participants learned about the vital role free-flowing water plays in the lives of indigenous people and wildlife, and how some animal species, including desert bighorn sheep and kit foxes, are under threat from encroachments, according to NALC.

"Springs throughout this landscape are a life source, so protecting them is not optional; it's our responsibility," Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla tribal member and youth ambassador Rachel Gallardo said. "Standing at Bonanza Spring, I reflected on how these free-flowing waters have sustained indigenous peoples ... for generations."

Along with tribes, federal agencies and environmental groups are involved in the program, the educational aspects of which additionally stress advocacy, using the experiences of the Chemehuevi and Fort Mojave tribes as examples.

The two tribes have vigorously worked to prevent foreign investors and companies, such as Cadiz Inc., from implementing projects to procure and market water from the area's springs.

For the remainder of 2026 and beyond, the program will support field trips, meetings and other endeavors that strengthen youth leadership education and research, featuring travel in the California and Arizona deserts.

More information about the ambassador program, including how to donate to sustain it, is available at nativeamericanland.org/