Our Mission
To preserve the beauty and biodiversity of the earth and to provide programs so that children may know the wonder and joy of nature.
The Preserve System
Our growing preserve system safeguards forests, deserts, mountains, rivers, and coastlines through permanent land conservation and active stewardship.
Conservation Projects
Beyond our preserves, we lead and support conservation initiatives that protect connected landscapes, wildlife corridors, rivers, and public lands.
AP Ranch Acquisition
This 14,177-acre acquisition in Siskiyou County, CA will expand Beaver Valley Headwaters Preserve to more than 20,000 acres.
Wild Cherry Canyon
More than 2,000 acres on California's central coast in San Luis Obispo County.
All Acquisition Projects
Explore our current land acquisition projects and learn how you can help conserve land for future generations.
Rewilding Nature
Across the West, rivers have been dammed and diverted, wildlife corridors severed, and native species pushed to the brink. Explore our work to restore wildness and ecological balance.
Visit a Preserve
Our preserve system welcomes more than 1.5 million visitors each year to protected forests, deserts, mountains, rivers, wetlands, and coastlines across California and Utah, with preserves and programs open to the public free of charge.
Community Programs & Events
From guided hikes to photography workshops to summer activities for kids, The Wildlands Conservancy's free community programs & events offer something for everyone.
School Field Trips
Free field-trip programs give students hands-on outdoor learning experiences that foster curiosity, scientific discovery, and a deeper connection to the natural world.
About The Wildlands Conservancy
About Us
Our Core Principles & Beliefs
Meet Our Team
Career Opportunities
Join the Wildlands team.
Our Financials
The financial information provided here is derived from our audited financial statements.
Rana Creek Preserve
With its iconic California oak woodland landscape, a journey through Rana Creek Preserve is like going back in time before highway traffic, strip malls, and power lines marred coastal California.
Wind Wolves Preserve
Wind Wolves Preserve is in an ecologically unique region where the Transverse Ranges, Coast Ranges, Sierra Nevada, western Mojave Desert and San Joaquin Valley influences converge.
Mission Creek Preserve
Located in a transition zone between the Sonoran and Mojave deserts, the 4,760-acre Mission Creek Preserve has a rich species composition with flora and fauna representing both deserts.
Pioneertown Mountains Preserve
The 25,500-acre Pioneertown Mountains Preserve descends from the high piney 7,800-foot ridges into the Pioneertown Valley.
Whitewater Preserve
Whitewater Preserve is 2,246 acres surrounded by the Bureau of Land Management’s San Gorgonio Wilderness and includes the year-round Whitewater River.
Two Rivers Preserve
Two Rivers Preserve is an awe-inspiring landscape within an ancient volcanic caldera full of glacial moraines, river-carved canyons, mountain meadows, and grand vistas of the Sierra Nevada and Sweetwater Mountains.
West Walker River Preserve
Situated in the Antelope Valley farming community, just off highway 395 in the Eastern Serra town of Coleville
Eel River Canyon Preserve
Given its location along the Grand Canyon of the Eel river, where the National Wild and Scenic Eel River carves its way through a deep and wild gorge
Emerald Waters Reserve
The 3,036-acre Emerald Waters Reserve is split between Humboldt and Trinity Counties and fronts on the Eel River for 4.5 miles.
Spyrock Reserve
The 5,832-acre Spyrock Reserve has five miles of frontage on the National Wild and Scenic Eel River in Mendocino County.
Beaver Valley Headwaters Preserve
The 6,094-acre Beaver Valley Headwaters Preserve in Siskiyou County protects two-and-a-half miles of the East Fork Scott River, providing habitats for Coho salmon, king salmon, and steelhead trout.
Eel River Estuary Preserve & Sounding Seas Dunes Reserve
The southern estuary of the Eel River in Humboldt County contains a diverse array of habitats and a grand arena of life
Seawood Cape Preserve
Seawood Cape encompasses 128 acres including almost a mile of California’s world famous rugged rocky coastline that is replete with barking sea lions and basking harbor seals.
Bearpaw Reserve
Bearpaw Reserve is 600 acres of steep, spectacular mountains with a seasonal 110-foot waterfall. Vegetation includes incense cedars, ponderosa and coulter pine, chaparral, and oracle oaks.
Bluff Lake Reserve
Located at 7,600 feet, Bluff Lake Reserve has towering pines, a 20-acre lake, a meadow, and majestic outcrops of quartz monzonite.
Galena Peak Wilderness Reserve
In 2018, The Wildlands Conservancy separated the 1,280-acre Galena Ridge from its Oak Glen Preserve, positioning this rugged rocky landscape to be managed like the adjoining San Gorgonio Wilderness.
Oak Glen Preserve
Nestled in a glen, situated at 5,024 feet, in the shadow of 8,700-foot Wilshire Peak, lies The Wildlands Conservancy’s 909-acre Oak Glen Preserve.
Estero Americano Coast Preserve
Acquired by The Wildlands Conservancy in 2015 through a visionary public-private partnership—including the State Coastal Conservancy, Sonoma County Ag + Open Space, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Sonoma Land Trust, and individual donors.
Jenner Headlands Preserve
Jenner Headlands is a spectacular 5,630-acre mosaic of redwood and Douglas-fir forests, oak woodland, chaparral and coastal prairie overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
Mariposa Reserve
The 800-acre Mariposa Reserve is a habitat reserve surrounded by the Cleveland National Forest. It represents the best grassland and sycamore savanna in the north end of the forest.
Santa Margarita River Trail Preserve
In 2018, The Wildlands Conservancy acquired five miles of the oak- and sycamore-shaded Santa Margarita River, one of the last free-flowing wild rivers in Southern California and the southernmost range of steelhead trout.
Enchanted Rocks Preserve
Thousand-foot-high cliffs splashed with orange, white, purple, and red tower above the John Day River as it winds through iconic landscapes graced with western junipers, herds of Rocky Mountain elk, and the verdant canyons of its many tributaries.
Speaking Springs Preserve
Cottonwood Wash carves an ancient, 42-mile pathway from the towering Abajo Mountains to the historic San Juan River.
Explore the Preserve System Map
Use our interactive map to plan your next preserve visit.
Explore Free Programs
Find free programs near you. From guided hikes to workshops, we offer something for everyone.
Donate Online
Our mission: To preserve the beauty and biodiversity of the earth and to provide programs so that children may know the wonder and joy of nature. Together, we can protect the land, heal the wild, and keep nature free for everyone.
Donate
All the Ways to Give
Since 1995, the generosity of The Wildlands Conservancy’s supporters has enabled us to call people back to the beauty, wonder, and inspiration of the natural world through outdoor education and the stewardship of some of California’s most remarkable and important landscapes.
Volunteer
Whether your passion is restoration or outdoor education, or you have a day to spare or a few hours a week, there’s a volunteer opportunity available for you to get involved and make a difference not just at your favorite preserve, but in your community.
Get News & Stories
From land acquisitions to rewilding projects to a child's first time in the wild — we share the work when there's something worth sharing. Join the Mailing List to get updates.
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Career Opportunities
Looking to join our team? Explore current opportunities with The Wildlands Conservancy.
Whitewater
Whitewater Preserve is 2,246 acres surrounded by the Bureau of Land Management’s San Gorgonio Wilderness and includes the year-round Whitewater River.
Rich riparian habitat hosts the endangered southwestern willow flycatcher and least Bell’s vireo, and provides opportunity to see migrating summer tanagers and vermilion flycatchers.
The canyon has a robust population of bighorn sheep, deer and bear, and is an important wildlife corridor between the San Bernardino and San Jacinto Mountains. The Wildlands Conservancy purchased an additional 3,200 acres in the Whitewater corridor that were donated to the Bureau of Land Management. These donated lands include sand dunes that are home to the endangered fringe-toed lizard at Windy Point, which lies at the confluence of the Whitewater and San Gorgonio Rivers.
Plan Your Visit
Contact The Preserve
Preserve Hours
8:00 am to 5:00 pm
Admission
Free
Getting Here
9160 Whitewater Canyon Road
Whitewater, CA 92282
Things to Do
Hiking
Dogs on Leash
Picniking
Birdwatching
Wildlife Viewing
Wildflower Viewing
Camping
Amenities
Admin Center
Information Kiosks
Restrooms
Accessible Restrooms
Parking
Picnic Area
Shaded Picnic Area
Group Picnic Area
Group Campground
Accessible Parking
Prohibitions
Fire of Any Kind
Hunting or Shooting
Charcoal BBQs
Alcohol or Smoking
Collecting
Drones
Tour Bus Parking
Off Highway Vehicles
Fishing
Bikes or E-Bikes
Safety
Mountain Lion
Black Bear
Rattlesnake
Camping Reservations
Whitewater Preserve offers up to three consecutive nights of camping (every 30 days) free of charge; donations are appreciated. The campground is situated south of the restrooms in the picnic area. The campground facilities include a spacious tent camping area, picnic tables, flush toilet restrooms, and potable water. A small creek meanders through the campground and there is plenty of shade provided by large cottonwood trees.
- Check-in: Before 4:15 pm
- Check-out: 11:00 am
- Tents and trailers welcome (trailer max length 20 feet and must be detached).
- Max. length of stay: 3 nights once a month
- Max group size: 20 people (depending on space)
- No fires of any kind, including charcoal BBQs. Propane cooking stoves and grills ok.
- No fishing or swimming in the ponds.
- Children must be accompanied by an adult at all times.
- No electricity or showers are available.
- No generators or amplified audio equipment (including speakers) allowed.
- No cell service or internet. Guests can receive cell service 3.5 miles south of the preserve on Whitewater Canyon Road.
Reservations
Reservations are recommended and must be made at least 48 hours before your stay. Walk-ins are welcome and must check in at our ranger station before 4:15 pm on the day of. Walk-ins will not be accepted if the campground is at maximum capacity.
WEATHER-RELATED CANCELLATIONS
All camping reservations are subject to cancellation due to hazardous weather conditions. Our staff will contact you if we need to cancel your reservation. Plan ahead!
Leave Not Trace
California Desert Preserves Outdoor Education Docent Program
Education docents are volunteers who share their knowledge, love and enthusiasm for our desert preserves with visitors of all ages. Our docents help nurture the curious explorer inside all our students by engaging them about science topics during a nature hike through the preserve. Not big on hiking? No Problem! Docents also help host family programs on weekends or for special events and engage children with hands-on activities, without needing to hit the trail.
Apart from providing free access and recreational opportunities to the public at our preserves, we also provide free outdoor educational programs and experiences to school children of all ages! An integral part of being able to host these programs is the support of our incredible team of docents.
Our Programs
Explore Upcoming Events
Location: Whitewater Preserve
Join us for our bi-monthly bird walk, the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of every month! Stroll through the preserve and enjoy our feathered residents and visitors guided by our avian knowledge leaders. No registration required. The Bird Walk begins at 8:00 am in the parking lot. Binoculars and cameras encouraged.
Location: Whitewater Preserve
Join us for our bi-monthly bird walk, the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of every month! Stroll through the preserve and enjoy our feathered residents and visitors guided by our avian knowledge leaders. No registration required. The Bird Walk begins at 8:00 am in the parking lot. Binoculars and cameras encouraged.
Location: Whitewater Preserve
Join us for our bi-monthly bird walk, the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of every month! Stroll through the preserve and enjoy our feathered residents and visitors guided by our avian knowledge leaders. No registration required. The Bird Walk begins at 8:00 am in the parking lot. Binoculars and cameras encouraged.
CONSERVATION OUTCOMES
The Wildlands Conservancy’s acquisition included 1,280 acres that had been subdivided into 40-acre parcels deep inside the San Gorgonio Wilderness.
Roads to the subdivision have been removed and the integrity of the wilderness has been restored. Wildlands also purchased the 40,032-acre BLM range allotment as a means to retire all cattle grazing in the Whitewater Watershed. Through years of The Wildlands Conservancy’s stewardship, the Whitewater River was transformed from black water cattle wallows into crystal clear waters.
Make an Impact
A First Connection with Nature
For many children, a preserve visit is their first time hiking a trail, seeing a hawk soar overhead, or hearing a river flow nearby. Your gift helps create those moments of wonder and discovery.
Preserves
Explore More Preserves
Pioneertown Mountains Preserve
Pioneertown, CA
Mission Creek Preserve
Desert Hot Springs, CA
Wind Wolves Preserve
Bakersfield, CA
Rana Creek Preserve
Carmel Valley, CA
Bearpaw Reserve
Forest Falls, CA
Jenner Headlands Preserve
Jenner, CA
Newsletter
Nature Unfolds: Stories & Scenes from the Wildlands
From land acquisitions to rewilding projects to a child’s first time in the wild — we share the work when there’s something worth sharing.
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