JOSHUA TREE >> In a long-sought victory, a group of preservationists has completed the acquisition of a 690-acre land parcel west of the western entrance to Joshua Tree National Park.

Ten years in the making, the Joshua Tree-based Mojave Desert Land Trust — which since 2006 has purchased 54,000 acres of desert land for protection — plans to restore the property, called Quail Wash, and to donate the parcel to the national park.

The property has important biological significance and is in a critical part of the wildlife linkage corridor, said Danielle Segura, MDLT executive director.

“The accomplishment represents the efforts of real partnership between neighbor, organizations and agencies coming together and investing in the protection and preservation of pristine lands for the future,” Segura said.

And, they said, it’s a win.

“Quail Wash was identified in the top-tier list of lands to be preserved by the founders of MDLT in 2005. Its acquisition is a special victory for MDLT,” Segura said.

The property contains Joshua Tree woodlands, desert tortoise habitat, desert wash and mountainous terrain.

The tortoise population has been in decline, prompting similar preservation efforts in the San Bernardino County. They include a recent effort by Los Angeles-based Cadiz Inc., through a California Department of Fish and Wildlife program, to create a 7,400-acre sanctuary in the eastern San Bernardino County desert — the largest such set-aside in California.

Cadiz owns groundwater in the desert and plans to pipe that water to primarily Orange County customers.

The land acquired by the trust remains largely undisturbed and is part of the wildlife linkage corridor that follows Quail Wash from the peak of Quail Mountain inside the park into the dispersed community of Joshua Tree.

In a statement, Joshua Tree National Park superintendent David Smith said, “Parks are not just islands in the midst of our landscapes. They are connected to other public lands and crucial habitats through wildlife corridors, washes and mountain chains. The Quail Wash acquisition exemplifies how we can protect JTNP along with landscapes, ecosystems and communities along the urban-wildland interface and add to the genetic diversity and habitat in and around the Park.”

The acquisition was made possible by a grant administered through the Wildlands Acquisition Program of Resources Legacy Fund, the state of California’s Environmental Enhancement and Mitigation Program and the Land and water Conservation Fund, MDLT officials said.

Since 2006, the Mojave Desert Land Trust has protected more than 54,000 acres of desert land.