‘The Living Desert’ Celebrates 40 Years This Weekend

PALM DESERT -The Living Desert is getting ready for its 40th birthday celebration Saturday. There have been a lot of changes over the decade.

40 years ago, the Coachella Valley had a population fewer than 90,000 and Portola Avenue in Palm Desert had not yet been paved. But it would be the birthplace of what has become one of the valley’s most beloved treasures, the Living Desert.

Karen Sausman was there from the beginning.

“We started in 1970 with what they thought was going to be a simple nature center. Some walking trails, labeled plants, maybe a small botanical garden of desert plants. That was about it,” says Sausman, The Living Desert’s founding president.

A simple nature center started with a couple of buildings surrounded by a handful of palm trees on a dirt road. Sausman was put it charge of developing a master plan.

Her vision included educational programming and small animal exhibits — and kept growing from there.

“We just kept expanding on the master plan. So every day for every year, right now through today, something has been under construction at the Living Desert.”

Right now, a new Children’s Discovery Center is being built and is set to open in the Fall.

With more buildings, exhibits, and animals — the original 360 acre preserve has grown to 1,200 acres.

But only 180 developed acres with the rest to remain in it’s natural state.

A mission of conservation through preservation that continues with new president Stacey Johnson, who arrived at The Living Desert back in June, bringing with him 25 years of zoo experience.

“Don’t mess with success. That’s the first rule,” says Johnson. “This park has a reputation throughout the zoo association for excellence in conservation and education. On par with any of the big zoos, any in the country. They all know about it.”

Over the past several years, The Living Desert has seen around 300,000 annual visitors. The zoo relies on those visitors, along with donors, as it operates on a fairly trim $6 million annual budget.

“We’re shooting to go up towards around 400,000 annual attendance in the next 5 years. That means we’ve got a lot to do and say and a lot of folks to meet,” says Johnson.

For now, it’s time to celebrate four decades of dedication to desert wildlife, with more to come.

“Turning 40, I think people would say it’s the prime of life. So I see The Living Desert as still the prime of life and still a tremendous amount of an exciting future,” says Sausman.