Yucca Crossing

Another pristine section of Cave Creek was added to Desert Foothills Land Trust’s growing inventory of preserved lands in 1998. This 11-acre conservation easement is especially important because it connects with the Preserve at the Cave, forming a continuous one-half mile section of Cave Creek that is now permanently protected.

The shady riparian property is the gift of a mother and daughter from California, Josephine and Marguerite DiGiorgio. Their interest in Desert Foothills Land Trust began in 1994 when the Land Trust initiated a water testing program on Cave Creek. The DiGiorgio’s agreed to let the students come to their land on Yucca Crossing once a month to check water flow and test the chemical quality of the water. The students also identified macro-invertebrates found in the stream bed to determine water quality.

Unfortunately the Yucca Crossing Preserve is an excellent place to see the effects of drought. A once thriving cottonwood and willow forest is now reduced to a few struggling survivors and several decomposing snags. This is a great example of the unstable successional dynamics of desert streams. Attached to the Preserve at the Cave, and the Burnstein Conservation Easement, it forms a riparian preserve of over 27 acres where wildlife can thrive. Coyote, bobcat, javelina, deer, gray fox, mountain lion and numerous species of birds have been seen in this preserve. DFLT offers guided tours to the Cave up to six times a year.