Oswit Land Trust to turn Mesquite Golf Club into a nature preserve
Mesquite Golf Club in Palm Springs has been purchased by Oswit Land Trust to be transformed into a nature preserve.
When the property went up for sale, Oswit Land Trust founder and executive director Jane Garrison saw an opportunity to make history.
"A piece of land is not safe until it's safe," Garrison said.
The announcement came at a press conference Tuesday morning. Palm Springs philanthropist Brad Prescott made the generous purchase in full. The property will be renamed the Prescott Preserve in his honor.
"I'm seeing the desert slowly disappear," Prescott said. "I feel bad for the animals; they're being squeezed out of their habitat."
The exact dollar amount to buy the 180-acre property remains confidential, but Garrison said it was a big bill for Prescott to foot.
"This was an enormous price tag," she said. Prescott's only condition, she added, was that the park be named after him.
"I'm a great believer in: you can't take it with you," Prescott said. "Spread it around while you're alive and see it goes to good causes."
The 18-hole course is uniquely positioned at the center of the city, stretching from El Cielo Road to Sunrise Way.
A flyer from those trying to sell the course to developers estimated up to 350 residential units could be built there – calling the land the largest, centrally located property in Palm Springs that had yet to be built on.
Jim Karpiak with the Coachella Valley Mountains Conservancy called the acquisition a win for wildlife.
"It's a wildlife corridor," he siad. "There's water in the creeks; that's important for species to support them. Species don't care about city boundaries. They move from the mountains through the city."
Oswit Land Trust now has big dreams for the future of the preserve. "It's going to be very lush; it's going to be very beautiful," Garrison said. "You'll be able to observe various species of wildlife."
In May, Oswit Land Trust reached a $7 million deal with developers to conserve nearly 4,000 acres off Highway 111 in Palm Springs, the largest acquisition of land in Coachella Valley history.
In 2020, the conservation group successfully saved more than 100 acres in south Palm Springs called Oswit Canyon from residential development.
"We don't stop here," Garrison said "There is a need, there's a need to save land. And as long as there's a need, we will try to fill that need."
Oswit Land Trust now has to secure grants to build the preserve. The goal is to use this next year for planning, then start restoration in 2023.
