City officials dedicate Angel Cove and Ship Rock

The land known as Angel Cove and Ship Rock will be forever protected in Palm Springs. City leaders and conservationists gathered Sunday morning to dedicate the land.

It’s an effort the Friends of the Palm Springs Mountains have been working on for years.

“We need natural areas, but it’s particularly important to Palm Springs in that we know one of the primary reasons, other than weather, that tourists come here, is because of this natural beauty,” said Jono Hildner, a member of Friends of Palm Springs Mountains.

After fighting for years to save the canyon from a proposal to build more than 300 homes on the land, Hildner said Sunday’s dedication is particularly significant to him.

“I ran the campaign for the election 10 years, almost to the day, where we stopped the development on Chino Canyon,” Hildner said.

Council member Ginny Foat was among those fighting alongside the organization.

“It was knowing what side to be on and knowing how important it was to our future that this be preserved,” Foat said.

With the help of the city of Palm Springs, the organization was able to to clean up the area, remove non-native vegetation and install a cable fence. Their goal has been to encourage visitors to come and explore.

“The whole point of this was we donate to the city, but we’re really donating to the citizens. And they can now come out and enjoy this property too,” said Nickie McLaughlin chair of the Friends of Palm Springs Mountains.

McLaughlin said the area has a rich history but she wants you to go there to learn about it for yourself.