MDLT Receives 1,440-acre Caliente Creek Tract for Conservation

 Southern California-based life coach Dr. Jordan Tourtelot Perzik runs his own private practice and has a PhD in clinical psychology from Pacifica Graduate University. An environmental conservation advocate, Dr. Jordan Perzik supports the Mojave Desert Land Trust (MDLT).

MDLT is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose mission is to protect desert lands with natural and cultural value. Since 2006, the trust has protected more than 120,000 acres.

On June 23, 2022, MDLT announced it was protecting Caliente Creek, a three-parcel property of about 1,440 acres. Just south of the Sierra Nevada, Caliente Creek comprises rolling hills at elevations of 3,500 to 4,600 feet. MDLT received the land as a donation from Trust for Public Land. It will manage the property for habitat restoration and scientific research.

While making the announcement, MDLT executive Cody Hanford expressed gratitude for the new acquisition. He affirmed that the habitat was indeed a key link between the mountains and the desert. Furthermore, it was a biological hot spot with a critical water resource, making it crucial for the survival of endangered species like the California Condor.

Public access is also part of MDLT’s plan for Caliente Creek. Because it is just 1.5 miles west of the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail, the nonprofit could add a connection to the renowned trail, giving hikers and explorers new lands to traverse. This trail of hikers will also boost the economy of the local Twin Oaks community.

Basics of Equine-Facilitated Learning

Dr. Jordan Tourtelot Perzik is a Southern California professional who provides life coaching and professional psychology services to clients. Volunteering with the Hearts Therapeutic Equestrian Center, Dr. Jordan Tourtelot Perzik has an additional interest in the area of equine-facilitated learning/psychotherapy (EFL/P).

An experiential learning methodology, EFL provides a supportive environment, in close contact with horses, for developing skills that range from communication to leadership. horse-human interactions can be either mounted or unmounted, with activities on the ground including working through challenges such as getting one’s equine partner to walk along a specific path. Some other common activities in EFL practice include observing and joining the herd, navigating an obstacle course, and grooming the horse.

This is coordinated through equine as well as human facilitators, with an emphasis on being mindful and fully in the present. Among the qualities developed through such interactions are effective communication, building trust with others, and empathy. In the process, participants often gain self-awareness and insight into their own emotions and causes of stress.

Responsible Outdoor Lighting

An accomplished life coach and consultant, Dr. Jordan Tourtelot Perzik holds a PhD in clinical psychology, a master of arts in clinical psychology from Antioch University, and a bachelor of science in film and television from Boston University. Strongly committed to environmental conservation, Dr. Jordan Perzik maintains membership in the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA).

The IDA engages in education and advocacy to prevent light pollution and preserve the beauty of the night sky. In collaboration with the Illuminating Engineering Society, the charitable organization published the Five Principles for Responsible Outdoor Lighting, which guide individuals and businesses in choosing safe and functional outdoor lighting that minimizes light pollution and wildlife disruption.

First, outdoor lighting should have a clear purpose. Before installing lighting, consider how it will affect wildlife. Whenever possible, opt for reflective paint rather than permanent lighting. Next, utilize targeted light that only illuminates a necessary area. Keep light levels low, noting that many surfaces reflect light into the night sky. Install timers and controls to allow lights to be shut off when they are not needed. Finally, use warm colors rather than shorter, blue-violet wavelength lights.

Slab City’s Salvation Mountain

Dr. Jordan Tourtelot Perzik earned his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Pacifica Graduate University; he holds a master’s degree in the same field from Antioch University, and a bachelor’s degree in film and television from Boston University. An accomplished professional psychologist and marriage and family therapist, he leads his eponymous life coaching service Jordan Perzik, Ph.D. Active in the conservation and arts communities, Dr. Perzik worked and painted with pop culture icon Leonard Knight, who built Salvation Mountain in Slab City, California.

Slab City is an alternative lifestyle community near the town of Niland on the Salton Sea. Named for the slabs of concrete it rests on, which are all that’s left of a US Marine base, it has a year-round population of between 50 and 100 that swells to several thousand during the winter months, with most of the transient population escaping the cold further north. Lacking many of the amenities of modern American communities like electricity and running water, its residents rely on a pioneer spirit to get by.

Leonard Knight was a Korean War veteran who had an intense Christian conversion experience in 1967 which left him burning to share a simple message with the world: “God is Love.” In 1980 he traveled west from his home in Vermont with the vision of creating the world’s largest hot-air balloon bearing the message “God is love.”

Knight’s efforts to sew together a massive balloon failed, though, and when he reached Slab City in 1984, he was ready to settle down and try a different approach; he built a mountain of sand, cement, and junk upon which he painted his message, as well as a prayer and a collection of Bible verses. After that mountain collapsed in 1988, Knight built a second mountain observing more reliable techniques and materials, and that mountain, now more than three stories tall, remains today, decorated with hundreds of thousands of gallons of paint and maintained by volunteers since Knight’s passing in 2014. More information about Leonard Knight and his creation is available online at SalvationMountain.org.