Imperial, conservation group acquire county land
The city of Imperial and the non-profit organization Mojave Desert Land Trust have recently acquired tax defaulted property from the county.
As part of consent agenda during the June 6, Board of Supervisors meeting, the county approved the sale of the properties through the Treasurer-Tax Collector.
When a property becomes tax-default any eligible agency can initiate a purchase proposal to buy the parcel without the need of bidding at a public auction parcels totaling 4,300 acres of land located north of the Chocolate Mountains which is part of the Chuckwalla Bench in order to preserve the ecosystem for the species that live there.
“Our goal is to preserve the California Desert Ecosystem,” said Conservation Director Frazier Haney. “This land in Imperial County is amazing and in pristine condition and has been naturally preserved.”
The organization will pay more than $18,000 for the 14 parcels of land acquired.
Haney said the purchase add to the 3,700 acres of land the Mojave Desert Land Trust has acquired to preserve the area for the vast amount of species that live in the California Desert.
Haney said the Chuckwalla Bench is home to a wide variety of species such as the Agassiz’s desert tortoise, desert horned lizard, the red-tailed hawk, the burrowing owl, the mule deer among many others.
The Mojave Desert Land Trust, founded in 2005, is a public charity whose mission is to protect the Mojave Desert ecosystem and its resources, according to its website.
As part of the agreement, the purchasers agree to pay the stated amount of the properties in addition to any accrued taxes, penalties, and fees.
Both agreements state that if all or any portion of any individual parcel described in the agreement is redeemed prior to the effective date of the agreement, the agreement shall then be null and void as to that individual parcel.