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In the fight Against Tamarisk
Join and Reduce Fire Risk in Your Community

Living in a beautiful, natural place conveys not only blessings, but also responsibilities. Chief among those is stewardship—preserving what is natural, for ourselves and for future generations.

Become a Member, Help in the Fight!

If you value the key goals of our mission–DPI offers a variety of opportunities to make a difference, whether you enjoy working outdoors, or inside with a team or on your own. We invite you to consider volunteering in one or more of our Working Groups where you might find new connections and friends while you learn about the natural ecology of our desert community.


We welcome volunteers at any time of year and if you add your name to our volunteer list by signing the volunteer agreement and release of liability, you will receive notices of field work days during our primary outdoor work season from October to June as well as other opportunities to make a difference.


To help us achieve our goals at an even higher level, we invite you to become a Member of the Desert Preservation Initiative, which simply means filling out a membership application and paying the one-time, lifetime membership fee of $50. This level of commitment makes a big difference in sustaining our work over time. For a nominal fee, you can signal your support and truly make a difference.

Preserve the Desert with Us!
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Desert Preservation Initiative: Perspectives

I think these [DPI] workshops are important to educate local residents who may be on the edge about removal and especially herbicide application. The main thing is, you cannot kill tamarisk simply by cutting them down. You must apply an herbicide to kill them."
Closeup of Scott Florence, member at Desert Preservation Initiative.
Scott FlorenceVolunteer
On clearing tamarisk by Dave's house: "It looks amazing." He feels "...a sense of community, working with our neighbors towards a common goal. DPI is well coordinated, and safe work habits are practiced. I am learning a lot about the desert plants native to this area.
Dave Tall
Dave TallHomeowner
John Thomas, a retired civil engineer, finds volunteering with DPI, "...easy because they are organized. I know in advance when and where the work sessions are happening, the time schedule for work sessions are held to and there is good guidance on what role I can help with that day."
John Thomas cutting tamarisk with a pair of loppers, standing in a desert wash.
John ThomasVolunteer

Support Our Preservation Efforts

While the majority of DPI’s work is carried out through physical labor by our members and volunteers, we also depend on mechanical tools and targeted herbicide treatments to manage tamarisk regrowth effectively.

In addition, our communication and outreach efforts require covering some basic expenses, including printing, website maintenance, and digital asset management.

Thanks to the generosity of our donors, we’ve secured a gasoline-powered wood chipper and three hand-sprayers, and have been able to support the design of our website. While our needs are modest, they are ongoing — tools must be maintained and replaced over time.

hand drawn cloud element
Hand drawn crescent moon asset. Yellow with black linework, reminiscent of a wood block etching style.

What Kind of Work Can I Do Once I Become a Member?

We have a lot of different jobs available for members. And we’re always happy to talk to you about finding the best fit for your skillset.

We put together a handout (included in your welcome email package) with more information about the kind of work you can expect to take part in while working with us.

Discover Work Opportunities with DPI

Fill This Form out and Become a DPI Member Today!

DPI Membership Application

Membership Application

Desert Preservation Initiative

Price: $50.00

Address & Employment

Please provide your address for our records, and give us an idea of how often you might be able to work with us.

How often are you in SW Utah?

Let us know if you're a full time Southern Utah Resident, or if you only live here part of the year.

Help us get to know you!

Let us know about you and your interests.

Payment

Pay however you'd like, with a card or with paypal. If you're interested in paying by check, feel free to save this form and reach out to [email protected] 

We'll help you from there!

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If you're not ready to join right now, consider sending a donation to help support our work!

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DPI Volunteer Work Available Now

The natural beauty of southwest Utah is what drew many of us here. Preserving that natural beauty for the future is what drives the work of the Desert Preservation Initiative. Would you like to join us to help achieve our mission?

There are a number of ways you can make a difference, depending on your interests, experience, and available time. However you might choose to get involved, you will play a key role in helping us safeguard the natural diversity of our community and in lowering the risk of wildfires.

We have six key working groups where you might find new connections and friends while you learn about the natural ecology of our desert community and make a difference. Ask yourself:

What do I care about or value? What am I good at? What do I enjoy doing?

  • If you’re good at initiating projects, you might enjoy a role within our Project Management group:
    • Working with home/landowners to secure approval for tamarisk removal
    • Recruiting and coordinating volunteers who have signed up to remove tamarisk from project sites
  • If you love working outdoors or perhaps have a mechanical bent, consider joining our Field Operations group:
    • Managing acquisition and inventory of equipment and other supplies required for projects
    • Maintaining equipment and supply inventories
  • If you’re a detail person who also loves plants and observing the natural landscape, you would make a great addition to our Monitoring group:
    • Observing project site recovery through site visits at three-month intervals to identify any regrowth of tamarisk as well as the emergence of native plants, planning restoration actions, and documenting site recovery
  • If you enjoy building community as you build support for causes you believe in, you might be a good fit for our Outreach group:
    • Building relationships with municipal leaders, community members, and local conservation organizations
    • Developing updates of DPI activity and informational documents for publication and distribution
  • If you enjoy pursuing funding for projects, you’d make a great contribution to the Fundraising group:
    • Building fundraising campaigns to secure personal and corporate/business contributions
    • Identifying and applying for grants
  • Or, if you’re good with numbers and take pride in helping a non-profit use its funds effectively and efficiently, you would be a natural for our Finance group:
    • Establishing an annual budget and allocation of funds based on annual DPI plans
    • Tracking spending against the budget

If you see a place where your skills and interests fit best, please contact DPI Vice President Dan Beck at [email protected]

You can make a difference. And, in case we forgot to mention it, you’ll have a lot of fun, too! We hope you’ll join us.

Download our Volunteer Liability Waiver Here
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Our 501(C)(3) Status

On May 20, 2022, the Desert Preservation Initiative (DPI) received notice from the Department of the Treasury that DPI had been assigned, as a non-profit organization, an Employee Identification Number (EIN=88-2408631). Effective on May 26, 2022, The Department of the Treasury – Tax Exempt and Government Entities branch determined that DPI is tax exempt under Internal Revenue Code (IRC) Section 501(c)(3). On February 2, 2024, the Tax Exempt and Government Entities Branch classified DPI as a public charitable organization under the IRC Section 509(a)(2) – effective back to May 26, 2022.

As of May 31, 2022, DPI was recognized and classified as a Corporation–Domestic–Non-Profit by the Utah State Tax Commission, Department of Commerce. DPI was assigned an entity number of 12859363-0140. On March 6, 2024, DPI was notified, by the Taxpayer Services Division of the Utah State Tax Commission, that DPI is exempt from sales tax as a charitable institution.