The Mojave is the smallest North American desert, yet it has captured the public's imagination far out of proportion to its geographical extent. And thanks to its wide exposure as the setting for countless films and advertisements, the Mojave's allure has only grown in recent decades.

As more people seek escape from the congestion of nearby urban centers, the Mojave Desert, paradoxically, has become an oasis for many diverse groups, from hikers and ranchers, to biologists and OHV riders. Each type of user prizes this unique ecosystem for different--and sometimes conflicting--reasons.

Fortunately, Mojave users have begun to agree that this harsh landscape is at the same time a deceptively fragile one, harboring ecological riches found nowhere else on Earth. Federal agencies and other government groups are making inroads into reversing environmental damage inflicted over generations of past use, and private citizens are volunteering in growing numbers to help conserve the Mojave's treasures. The encouraging results of many such efforts offer lessons about what can be accomplished when people and organizations work collaboratively for common conservation goals.

The one-of-a-kind world of the Mojave undoubtedly has countless hidden treasures to reveal and important lessons still to offer. As its guardians, citizens and governments must work to ensure that the Mojave will survive intact to impart its wisdom for millennia to come