“The great secret of the desert is that it often sings quietly, offering sweet melodies for anyone who will listen.”
Josh Jackson, The Enduring Wild, 2025
I first became aware of Josh Jackson’s @forgottenlandsproject through Instagram, where he posted his reflections on visiting the less-acknowledged public lands of California.
This book was formed as an extension of that Instagram project. I throughly enjoyed the mixed-media approach he took with it, interspersing his stories of various “forgotten” California locations with illustrations of the areas and his wonderful photos.
Jackson has a special focus on lands managed by the BLM (Bureau of Land Management). My lifelong devotion to exploring public lands had thus far been limited to National Parks (NPS) and National Wilderness Areas (U.S. Forest Service).
Through Jackson’s work I began to understand more about the complex public lands agencies and locations of California, and further research showed how many BLM locations allowed 4×4 off-roading. This trip out to Mojave was in part inspired by his work, and I’m thrilled to have spent extended time in the beautiful high deserts of the Mojave.