Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/687891
Desert hiking & biking offers a new perspective on a fragile eco-system T alking a mile a minute, art appraiser turned jeep-tour guide Morgan Levine reels off statistics: the Coachella Valley consists of nine towns and the desert in between; 43,000 year-round residents plus 3.5 million tourists last year; despite four years of drought, an enormous aquifer enables the valley to produce crops, including table grapes, citrus fruits, bell peppers and dates. ey export grapes as far as In- donesia and grow sod for the Super Bowl. ~ By Teresa Bergen ~ continued on page 30 june/july 2016 29