Connection With Nature: The Discovery of an Endangered Plant Leads a Rancho Mirage Church to Create a ‘Sacred Garden’

The beauty of the natural world is all around us—but in our busy, modernized lives, connecting with nature is often an afterthought.

A group of self-described “community scientists,” however, was prompted to pay attention when an endangered plant was discovered at the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Desert (UUCOD) in Rancho Mirage. That discovery started a years-long process that resulted in the church’s brand-new Desert Canyon Habitat, a sacred garden where community members are welcome to connect with nature.

Rod Belshee was shocked to find Coachella Valley milk vetch plants growing at UUCOD, where he’s been a member since 2014.

“In 2016, I just discovered one of the endangered species of Coachella Valley growing happily on our grounds,” Belshee said. “It’s just growing, and that’s kind of shocking, so that spawned my curiosity and made me want to learn a little bit more.”

He found a program at the University of California, Riverside’s Palm Desert Campus that offered a Certified California Naturalist certification. He began getting other folks excited about learning how to protect the natural environment, too.

The concept of creating “community scientists” grew out of that program. The 11-week class includes “classroom and field experience in science, problem-solving, communication training and community service,” according to the course description.

“By 2018, I’d talked a whole bunch of people into this dream that we could create habitat on our grounds,” Belshee said. “It is getting harder for native species (to survive) because of development and climate change. We had huge momentum—and a big, giant event was scheduled for March 22, 2020. On March 20, we (had to close) the building.”

COVID-19 restrictions derailed the groups’ early plans; in the interim, a steering committee was formed.

“We finally restarted it about a year ago, reassembled the team, updated the charter and did a little fundraising. Then we really took off again,” said Belshee, who co-chairs the committee with Diane Leslie, who is also a Certified California Naturalist.

On Jan. 7, the UUCOD marked the opening of the Desert Canyon Habitat. The idea for the garden is a natural extension of the church’s spiritual views, said Belshee.

“We believe in the interdependence and the interconnectedness of everything,” he said.

At the opening ceremony, the church service was modified to include speakers discussing conservation. Cameron Barrows, of the UCR Center for Conservation Biology, encouraged attendees to take the California Naturalist class. His talk on the theme of being at one with nature featured the memorable line, “Don’t erase the desert; embrace the desert.” Lisha Astorga, who owns Desert Straw House, a plant nursery specializing in native species, explained that drought-tolerant plants can be adapted to residential spaces and provided a list of user-friendly plants.

Exhibitors provided information on various sustainability projects and offered native plants for sale. Church members served as tour guides, explaining the garden’s design.

Dave Emmerson presented a certificate from the National Wildlife Federation designating the garden as a sacred space. As one of 40 classmates who took the UCR Naturalist course in 2023, Emmerson and his team decided their group project would be a series of models for native gardens—one of which became the blueprint for the Desert Canyon Habitat.

“Our class was so big, they recommended we go in groups,” Emmerson told the Independent. “It turned out there were three of us from the church—Mel Wilkinson, (my partner) Sue Engle and myself. Sue said, ‘Let’s do a demonstration garden with native plants so people can see how beautiful they really are.’”

The fully realized habitat is indeed beautiful. Colorful flowering plants like desert globemallow, desert lavender and desert marigolds complement the sand and stone foundation. Desert ironwood trees and smoke trees will eventually grow to bring shade to the garden, Emmerson said.

Sculptures are scattered throughout. One piece, a 7-foot geometric tower of woven metal, seemingly stands sentry above the space. Stone benches and picnic tables are set on the perimeters.

“The people in the congregation and people who just come by find it extremely peaceful,” Emmerson said. “They call it in Japan ‘taking a bath in nature.’ … You’re out there, and the views of the mountains are wonderful, and it’s very organic. You just sort of feel like you’re someplace else.”

One of the main principles of Unitarian Universalism is a connection to the Earth and all its creatures. “It’s inherent that people are looking for this kind of thing,” Emmerson said.

There’s that word again—connection. Emmerson said he remembers the day he first visited the church. He met Belshee and immediately became interested in helping bring the native-plants project to the church, and it was Belshee who encouraged him to take the California Naturalist course at UCR Palm Desert.

The next session of the course begins in February. The last class was the largest so far, according to Belshee.

Barrows, a retired emeritus professor at UCR, has been teaching the course as a volunteer since 2018. His speech at the dedication could serve as a motto for the next class. Its title: “Being a Part of, Not Apart from, Nature.”

“He’s trying to create a legacy of people who will carry on with conservation in the valley,” Belshee said.

Belshee said he hopes community members will visit the garden and perhaps consider becoming a certified naturalist. You don’t need a degree or any particular background—just a desire to connect with and conserve nature.

“It could be that you’re a lifelong birdwatcher, or it could be that you’re concerned about climate change,” Belshee said.

The Desert Canyon Habitat is located at the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Desert, 72425 Via Vail, in Rancho Mirage. The garden is open to the public, and visitors are welcome at any time, but are asked to be respectful of parking during Sunday services at 10 a.m. Visit www.uucod.org for more information.