The landmark Whitewater Trout Farm, located five miles up the Whitewater Canyon, has been saved from being turned into a possible paint-ball fighting arena or dune-buggy area. 

Recalling being brought as a child by parents and grandparents to the popular pay-to-fish hatchery, some locals coinsider it a rite of passage for those growing up in the Coachella Valley.

Originally built in 1938 by John and Berta Shearer, the Farm was later sold in 1998 to Robert Nahodil who put the Farm on the market earlier this year.  This spectacular property in the heart of Whitewater Canyon includes a magnificent stretch of the river as it flows out of the adjacent San Gorgonio Wilderness managed by BLM.   The property also affords access to the Pacific Crest Trail.  But developers came calling with hopes of turning the Farm into a site for paint ball fights or off-road vehicles.  

Whitewater Canyon is an area of spectacular natural richness, with a combination of plant and animal life native to the Mojave Desert, the Colorado Desert, and even the coastal regions. Sightings or tracks of bighorn sheep, mule deer, desert tortoise, and mountain lion have been recorded on the property. The river corridor, with its stands of cottonwoods and willows, provides important nesting and migratory habitat for neotropical birds including two endangered species, the least Bell’s vireo and southwestern willow flycatcher. The area is regarded by conservation biologists as part of a key linkage for wildlife between the San Bernardino Mountains, which surround Whitewater Canyon and are part of the Transverse Ranges, and the San Jacinto and Santa Rosa Mountains, which are part of the Peninsular Ranges to the south.  It is also an important part of the watershed for the Whitewater River which ultimately feeds our underground aquifer.

The Friends, who purchase land for scenic, biological, recreational or cultural significance and to protect the beauty, character, and diversity of the Coachella Valley, moved fast and purchased the 291 acrea property in March of this year.  However, the Friends aren’t in the business of holding and managing lands, so we therefore turned to The Wildlands Conservancy, a California nonprofit public benefit corporation with land holdings throughout Southern California. 

The Wildlands Conservancy will restore the land and enhance the biodiversity and natural landscape of the area.  Their plans also include creating a site where the public may enjoy passive recreation and where school children may participate in exceptional outdoor education programs. 

Overall, the acquistion and conveyance of the Whitewater Trout Farm is a perfect example of how the Friends operates and how their efforts provide benefit to all the inhabitants of the Coachella Valley – its people, plants and animals.